Childhood
by llacerta
Summary: The Past Part 1. We all know what Randall was like during the movie. But what has happened previous to the movie to eventually create the personalty of the character we know now? R&R appreciated! It's finished!
1. Home Sweet Home

For those of you that are confused, yes, this IS the same story as what Sean had put up, but now I've got my own account, I can put it up myself. If you have already read what was up there before, skip to S5-Meeting Once Again.  
  
I apologise if you had already reviewed it before as now it has been wiped off, and you are definitely not obliged to review again, but for people who have not previously reviewed, I do really appreciate it. Without them, I probably won't bother carrying on so please, please let me know what you think so far!  
  
Oh and the characters from the sacred film Monsters Inc. are not mine, but all the others are my creation and I own them. Wow. I own people. Cool.  
  
The Past Part 1- Childhood  
  
Chapter 1- Foul Awakening  
  
The morning sun rose as the hundreds of monsters that inhabited the city awoke from their slumber. It was a beautiful day, and as the dozens of birds sang out their cheerful songs, everybody prepared and looked forward to their busy day ahead; going to work or school, meeting friends, and having a good time.  
  
Except for one monster.  
  
This particular monster lay in bed awaiting the click of the door being unlocked and opened, allowing him to get on with another day of torture.  
  
He waited, but no click came. Instead, there was a loud thumping noise in the corridor and then an ear-splitting screech emitted from someone near by. The young monster, named Randall, clambered out of bed and sidled towards the door as though a human was standing behind it. He cautiously raised one of his for arms and clutched the door-knob with a shaky three- fingered hand. As he slowly twisted the golden handle a series of roars and cries filled the room.  
  
The door burst open like an exploding balloon and half a dozen monsters ran through it knocking Randall onto the thread bare floor.  
  
As Randall opened one of his eyes, he realized that a big fat creature was lying in the doorway. It was a social worker!  
  
"Those stupid idiots must have stolen the keys off of her and left her lying there while they unlocked my bedroom door," Randall thought to himself. He was just about to chance another glance but his vision was cut off by a gigantic hand coming into contact with one of his lime-green eyes.  
  
"Hello Lizard-Boy," growled the menace that had punched him. "Just doing our daily raid, right guys?"  
  
Several monsters grunted. As the large monster finally got off Randall, another monster, older and feminine, came into the darkened room. A badge, pin-less as it easily stuck on her green, gooey chest, stated "Social Worker Mary Thorn."  
  
"BREAKFAST TIME LADS!" she bellowed, her voice croaky with age. She turned around and slimed her way out the room, completely ignoring the fact that the room was a complete mess as the few family-momentums the lizard monster had prized for so long had either been smashed or eaten. As for Randall, well he had been pushed against a wall and pulverized by monsters three times the size of him.  
  
But obviously breakfast was a lot more tempting than beating a monster to a worthless pulp. As the ruffians rushed out the room in search for the most important meal of the day, Randall shakily stood up and rubbed the bruises that covered his arms and tail.  
  
He wasn't going to bother with breakfast; he hadn't done for years, especially with the other horrible monsters that occupied the lonely orphanage. Anyway, he didn't feel like eating after such a rude awakening that morning.  
  
Chapter 2- Memories  
  
Walking over to the shattered mirror Randall took a fleeting look at the calendar that lay torn across the floor. It was the second of March.  
  
His birthday.  
  
He sighed heavily as he looked at himself in the mirror.  
  
"It doesn't matter what day it is; Christmas, Easter, or even my birthday, they will still come and ruin my life," he said quietly to himself. He was very prone to speaking to himself as he hadn't got any friends or family. Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized how thin he was getting. Randall, being a lizard-monster, was naturally quite thin but his ribs were starting to show and that was a bad sign for any monster. He made a mental note in his mind to get up earlier and grab a bit of breakfast before the rest of the orphanage awoke.  
  
He tore himself away from the mirror and decided to busy himself with tidying up his room. As he bent down to scoop up some discarded paper he noticed something glistening in the corner. Intrigued, he dropped the rubbish that he was holding and went to see what it was. As he picked it up with one of his lower hands, he identified the object and a pang of uncontrollable sadness filled his heart.  
  
It was a necklace; a silver necklace that his twin sister, the last of his family left, had given to him as an early birthday present. It had to be early because she knew that she wasn't going to be there on their birthday.  
  
Memories flooded into Randall's head as visions of what happened swept by him; the look on Marie's face as she told her only sibling that she was being adopted; the final evening they spent together as she gave him her beautiful necklace to remember her by; when he was giving her last one hug before she was taken away with her foster parents.  
  
Then his mood abruptly changed.  
  
The tears that had been flowing down his purple cheeks were stemmed by an emotion so powerful that no living being can control it; anger.  
  
Why hadn't the foster parents taken both of them rather than just Marie? Why was the only family he had taken away from him? And why hadn't Marie written to him?  
  
Randall had made her promise to write as often as possible but he hadn't heard from her ever since she had left! He threw the semi-precious necklace across the room in a bout of fury and growled in frustration. Life had never gone his way, and it didn't look as though it would in the future, either. If only the Winds of Change would blow his way for once.  
  
Chapter 3- Deserted  
  
His mild tantrum was interrupted by a distinct rumbling filing the room. Randall's fronds jerked up as he leapt towards the window. It was the bus!  
  
He grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs gasping and repeating in his head "please let me catch it." He threw open the large wooden door of the orphanage and swiftly slithered past the colossal trees that filled the garden. Randall ran as fast as his four legs could take him as he squinted against the morning sun. The bus was still there! He was going to make it!  
  
But just as he ran through the rusty gates, passing some spectacular windswept daffodils, the bus's long continuative growl increased to a load rumbling roar and the bus slowly made its way onto the main road.  
  
"WAIT! STOP!" Randall panted, chest heaving.  
  
In a last ditch attempt he jumped up and tried to cling onto the side of the green bus with his suction fingers and toes, but to no avail. He just slipped off; it had rained the night before.  
  
"Oh, this is just friggin' ridiculous!" Randall shouted, his short-tempered personality rearing its ugly face.  
  
"Oh for." He had kicked a rock that lay on the pavement in annoyance which resulted in him hurting his toe. As he winced with pain he realized that he had better get a move on otherwise he might be late for school. He let out another deep sigh and started to make his way.  
  
Chapter 4- Waternoose's Plan  
  
"Don't bother to take a seat. This will only be brief." Harold N. Waternoose, older brother of Henry J. Waternoose, sitting behind his desk stared at his small orange friend.  
  
"Bring in the last of the monster children and put them in the cellar. Make sure word doesn't get out. I need to test the machine as quickly as possible so I don't need any mistakes from you and your henchmen. Understood?"  
  
The tiny creature nodded, but a thought came into his head; one that he couldn't ignore.  
  
"Sir.I was just wondering.what about the parents? Surely they would notice if their children went missing and the CDA might get involved."  
  
While Waternoose listened patiently, he stood up and gazed out the window. Once his company had finished explaining he then added his own ideas to the discussion.  
  
"Don't worry about that. Rest assured the CDA will not know what's going on because I will make certain that the parents won't get a chance to tell them. They won't have a clue what's going on until it's too late." 


	2. School Troubles

Chapter 5- Friends and Enemies  
  
Randall had arrived in the nick of time; he had run most of the way. Now feeling very tired out and extremely aggravated he opened the classroom door with a slam and sat down at his scratched and shabby desk. The teacher was halfway through the register and was particularly peeved that Randall had interrupted him. Nevertheless he carried on, not without a quick glare at the unsuspecting lizard-monster.  
  
The morning lessons went by so rapidly it was as though Father Time himself was playing a trick on Randall. The bell echoed through the countless classrooms that made up the school and doors were swung open as young monsters ran through the dirty corridors eager to get to get to break.  
  
But not Randall.  
  
He was one of the few that absolutely despised break for only one reason: what the other monsters would do to him. You would think that you couldn't do much in such a short space of time, and with so many teachers on guard, no monster would try and do anything. Unfortunately, this was not the case. They would do all they could to make Randall's life as painful as possible.  
  
Randall gradually crept up to the double doors that led to the playground of terrors and was just about to grasp the grime-covered door handle when he thought of a better idea. He would go the back way, even though it was strictly forbidden. At least that way no-one would see him coming out and ounce in him like a cat on a mouse.  
  
You see, Randall, contrary to rumours, was not as brave as most people thought. He acted tough just to deter the bullies that infested the school like cockroaches. Yet, even though this tactic worked, all he was really doing was creating a cocoon around himself; one that would protect him from all the hurt in the world. Randall didn't acknowledge all the wounding things that were said to him; the cocoon prevented all the cruel words from penetrating his heart. Yet his defence would make him worse off in the future. He would have to face the world one day, and when he did, it would be more of a shock than ever. So, he kept to himself and acted as though he were invisible. He didn't know that one day he would have this ability.  
  
The bullies targeted him, and the remainder ignored him. It was a tough life.  
  
Randall warily pushed open the crumbling back door and peeked outside. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he headed directly for a corner of the playground that was hidden from prying eyes by a large wall that the young monsters would throw balls at. He slipped softly into the shadows, the silence being pierced only by the constant thump as the soft, rubbery balls made contact with the rock-hard wall. Randall had spent many a break there and not many of his schoolmates knew that the small space even existed.  
  
"What a brilliant birthday this is turning out to be," said Randall sarcastically as the slight headache caused by the ongoing thumping and banging grew to a huge migraine.  
  
"My head's thumping more than the wall is. Great," he commented sulkily, but he was used to it by then having spent so much time in this secluded corner of the playground.  
  
The time went by painfully slowly and relief swept over the thirteen year- old monster as the end of break bell rang out through the playground. Randall, breaking out into a run, speedily slinked across the sun-baked playground that seemed to grow before his very eyes. The door came into view. He was going to make it without encountering even one of the numerous monsters that would hurt him, mentally and physically, at first sight.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
Just as he was about to push the door open he felt something tug his tail. Barely turning around he tripped over something that was in his way and a green hand pushed him onto the gritty concrete floor. Then a cheerful voice rang through his already aching head. One solemn word came into his mind upon the arrival of that voice;  
  
"Wazowski," Randall muttered under his breath.  
  
He gathered up all his strength to get up but was immediately pushed back down again, much to his annoyance. Then he felt some feet walking up his mottled back and then onto his head. As Mike Wazowski, a short little green monster with one eye that was always accompanied by his best friend James P. Sullivan, stepped off the bedraggled lizard-monster, he smiled.  
  
"Hello there, Lizard-Boy. Ya know, you make a really good rug, don't ya think?"  
  
Randall only growled in reply.  
  
"Well, we had better be off. I somebody saw us with you, well, let's just say that might affect our reputation, huh Sul?" He took a glimpse at his friend who was regretfully looking down at Randall.  
  
"What? Oh.right," he answered, his mind drifting off somewhere else.  
  
"Well," Mike continued as Randall got up glaring at the pair of them. "See ya later, alligator!" Turning his attention to Sulley, as he was better known as, Mike added in an undertone "Give 'im one, and make it hard."  
  
Sulley looked back at Randall who was slowly edging away from them, and prepared to punch him. But then a little voice at the back of his mind told him otherwise. Gradually lowering his furry hand he looked at his companion who was frowning slightly. He had a choice; he could punch Randall and get it over and done with, or he could just walk away and be discriminated for the rest of his high-school life.  
  
He made a decision  
  
Sure, he would have to go against his conscience, but that wouldn't be as bad as everyone, including his best friend, thinking that he was on Randall's side. Which he most certainly wasn't. He knew what he had to do. He raised his spotted purple right arm and, as Randall lifted his alien hands to protect himself, gave an almighty punch.  
  
Sulley indicated to the now overjoyed Mike to leave and they went up the worn steps into the building, leaving Randall on the floor unconscious.  
  
As he was coming to, Randall felt a horrible feeling flowing through his veins that he hoped he would never have to experience: hatred. He hated Sulley and Mike for what they had done and for ruining his already wrecked life, but the way they had just left him there, alone was just.  
  
It was unforgivable.  
  
Chapter 6- Silencing the monsters  
  
A pair of octopus-like monsters sat at a circular table in their modernised kitchen, the phone, like them, silent. The mother's face was damp with salty tears. Their son had been missing for five hours though, to them, it seemed like five years. Looking intently and determinedly at the phone and wishing it with all his might to ring, the husband spoke words of comfort to his anguished wife.  
  
"Everything will be alright. The police will ring and they'll have found him." He tapped his companion's tentacle lightly.  
  
The empty silence that followed was cut like a knife slicing through soft butter by the doorbell ringing. Startled, they both jumped up and hastily slid their way to the door. The mother grabbed the handle with a shaking tentacle and swung open the door to be greeted by two large monsters. The terrors had to duck underneath the doorway to be able to enter their humble abode.  
  
Swiftly, they each gagged a parent and dragged them like dogs into a cupboard under the stairs. The parents responded by flailing their eight arms to be held and bound even more. Once they were shoved in, the white furry henchmen slammed the door shut with a hearty guffaw.  
  
They were enjoying this.  
  
They went outside, one of them closing the front door while the other climbed into their rusty car. His friend then joined him and they drove to their next destination.  
  
All over Monstropolis this was happening to the friends and families of ones that were missing. And, as Waternoose said, the CDA didn't have a clue.  
  
Chapter 7- The Pit of Doom  
  
The next thing Randall saw was a button-nosed face with circular glasses staring down at him. It didn't look very happy. All of a sudden he was being shaken and something was shrieking into his ear.  
  
"Get up you lazy old so-and-so!"  
  
Subsequently, Randall was pulled up to his fours and was being dragged into the dull grey building. He was just about to ask what was happening when the shrieking voice he despised so much started again.  
  
"The Principle wants to see you, and don't ask questions. You will know what's going on soon enough."  
  
Randall was just about to complain, but before he could retaliate they had gotten to the Principle's Office. The bird-monster threw the bewildered Randall into the office and slammed the door shut.  
  
"Today just isn't my day, is it?" Randall scowled. But the tremendous fear that had been in the depths of his stomach for such a long time took over his body and mind, sweeping away any remaining anger and sadness and leaving him with one thing: the bone-chilling awareness that he was now standing in the Principle's Office.  
  
Surrounding the walls were shelves of the most disturbing things in jars. As Randall took a closer look, he saw an eye slowly rotating in some green fluid.  
  
"There's Wazowsi," Randall chuckled to himself trying to lift the uneasiness that he could feel. But Randall was scared out of his wits for many good reasons. It was a well-known fact that every pupil that had ever entered this pit of doom had never left it still being a pupil. Randall's whole body shook with anticipation as the swivel chair swung round to reveal the most feared monster in the whole of the school.  
  
If it wasn't for the fact that he was about to be expelled, Randall would have burst out laughing.  
  
In the humongous chair sat the most miniscule monster Randall had ever laid his eyes on. He was about the size of a tennis ball except a bit more squarish. Three eyes evenly spaced around his large mouth (large for the size of him) scanned Randall with immense accuracy. But the funniest thing of all about this miniature head-master was what was on top of his orange limbless body.  
  
Pink strands of long hair dangled over his face, partly covering his scrutinizing eyes. Randall couldn't help but let a smile flicker over his otherwise emotionless face. But he would regret it almost immediately.  
  
"You think I'm funny then, do you? You think you're better than me, you scaly freak? Well, I would love to see you laugh at this!" And with that, the little monster that Randall could have held between his thumb and forefinger opened its mouth to its full extent, revealing teeth as sharp as a butcher's knife. The Principle's mouth was so big that it was all Randall could see. Its body seemed to have completely disappeared.  
  
Then the monster threw back its head and the most thunderous roar Randall had ever heard was released. It nearly deafened him.  
  
The effect that the noise had was astonishing; dusty books that hadn't been read or even moved for centuries fell off shelves, computers all over the school crashed to the diamond-hard floor and many students toppled off their chairs in agony.  
  
Randall, being the closest monster to this mad Principle, slowly sank to the ground, his top pair of hands over his head to block out this disgusting sound that was infecting the building. Lying there, sprawled on the floor, Randall felt wave after wave of nausea spreading through his stomach and the effects caused him to stay there long after the screeching and wailing had ceased.  
  
Daring to rise from the shiny brown floor Randall took his hands off his head and peered up at the Principle who had now returned back to his natural form.  
  
"Enjoy that, did you?" the Principle asked with a sneer.  
  
"N.no," Randall stammered, turning a pale shade of green.  
  
The Principle continued. "Good. You must be wondering why you are here."  
  
Randall had been wondering, but after that disturbing experience he found he didn't really want to know. Actually, all he wanted to do was get out of that room and put as much distance between him and the Principle as possible. Nevertheless, he hazarded a little nod of the head.  
  
"Well, now I am going to tell you. That sister of yours- do you know where she is?" The mention of his sister snapped Randall back into reality.  
  
"No," he replied, becoming more confident as the anger welled up inside him once again. "I haven't heard anything from her since she was adopted by some stupid foster parents." As Randall finished, his voice became very sour. The Principle smiled; the type of smile that would make even the most tolerant of creatures sick.  
  
"Well, I know where she is. Actually, to be more precise, I am the foster parent who decided to adopt her." 


	3. Captured

Chapter 8- Explanation  
  
He paused allowing the affects of this sentence to well and truly sink in.  
  
"You?" Randall gasped, his heart hammering away inside his chest. "Why?"  
  
"Yes, me. Why, you ask? Well, I've got an old friend who, um... lets just say, needed her for certain reasons." Randall opened his mouth to speak, but the Principle interrupted him.  
  
"Basically, my old friend, who goes by the name of Waternoose, has built a machine." Randall was deep in thought for a second before emerging back into the real world. Waternoose... Where had he heard that name before? Well, he was soon going to find out. "Waternoose," the Principle resumed, "has just inherited the company of Monsters, Inc. from his father, a reliable and sensible monster. But a lot of monsters think that the new CEO isn't up to the job. So, to prove himself worthy, so to speak, he has built a machine capable of scaring children ten times more efficiently then previously. But he has encountered a little problem."  
  
"The CDA, otherwise known as the "Child Detection Agency," have forbidden him to test it on human children. They even set up a complex alarm-system that would warn them the moment a human-child enters the monster-world. He had no choice but to try it on monster children, behind the CDA's back, of course. So, guess where you're sister is now." The Principle completed his speech with a grin forming on his nearly non-existent face.  
  
Randall's eyes widened in pure shock.  
  
What were they doing to his sister? He had to save her! But how could he get to Monsters, Inc.? How could he stop this illegal act from being performed? He might already be too late! Questions whizzed through his head, but, unbeknown to him, they were all going to be answered soon enough.  
  
"She is just one of dozens of monsters that have been chosen for their physical condition and are being experimented on. And you are going to join her. Frank? Butch? You know what to do."  
  
Two unnaturally large monsters came out from behind the miniature demons' chair and started to proceed to the now extremely freaked out lizard- monster. But just as the monsters were about to grab Randall the door flew open and two younger monsters appeared from the darkness of the corridor. Randall turned around and stared at them in surprise.  
  
It was Mike and Sulley.  
  
"We've heard everything you said!" shouted Sulley, the braver of the two. "You're a nutcase, you know that? We're not going to let you do this, are we Mike?"  
  
Mike looked up at his determined friend.  
  
"We're not?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. Sulley glared at him. "I-I mean we're not, o-of course we're not...right Sul?" He smiled at Sulley weakly.  
  
Randall was touched. But he didn't have long to stay sentimental.  
  
The two guards had split up; one had hastily closed the door and locked it while the other pulled out a couple of unusual guns out from under the Principle's desk. The three young monsters' fear had grown more apparent by the minute. Randall heard a click of a gun. He swerved round but before he could get out the way he felt a slight prick in one of his arms.  
  
As he turned to look at the other two he found that they were slumped on the floor. He would soon be joining them. As he fell onto the wooden floor with a muffled thump everything went black and dizziness blocked out the remaining thoughts in his head. An aching pain spread around him and numbness overshadowed him.  
  
He really wasn't having a good birthday.  
  
Chapter 9- Trapped  
  
Randall reluctantly opened his eyes to find that he was tied up and gagged in the most uncomfortable way possible. He took a sideways look at his two enemies who had also been wrapped up like a pair of cheap birthday presents. As he put as much effort as he possibly could into turning his head around the cogs that formed his mind started to spin.  
  
They were in a van.  
  
"Great," Randall thought, another sarcastic comment coming into his mind. "This is going to be fun." Randall shuffled around trying to face Mike and Sulley. Maybe they had an idea of how to get out of this situation. For five minutes Randall struggled. By the time he could see them both properly he was out of breath. And the gag didn't help. The lizard-monster closed his eyes in fatigue and remained motionless until he had gathered up enough strength. Then he heard a muffled "Mmmm."  
  
He looked up, figuring out that the distorted sounds were coming from Sulley. The furry monster shook his head towards Mike. The Cyclops was out cold. Sulley was starting to look worried as an air of panic started to rise.  
  
But Randall remained calm, or, to be more precise, as calm as he could. He was still in a state of shock that the previous news had brought him but he made a decision to push all his unwanted thoughts into a dusty little corner at the back of his mind so he could concentrate at the situation at hand.  
  
Randall squinted in hard, pure thought.  
  
After a bit of conferring with himself he began to wiggle to the end of the van where there were some dirty brown windows that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in decades. He might as well find out where they were. Once the second period of struggle was over he peeked out the window.  
  
By that time Sulley had cottoned on and was smiling. Or the results of trying to smile with a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth. Randall surveyed the scenery. He didn't immediately recognise where they were but he vaguely remembered it from somewhere. It nibbled at his mind like a mouse nibbling at a giant segment of blue cheese and it wouldn't stop.  
  
Determined to match the location with a name, Randall looked at every signpost that sailed by the van. He heard a thump in the background.  
  
"Must be Wazowski waking up," he thought momentarily, but then his mind went back to working out where they were.  
  
Another signpost whizzed by, stating "Monsters, Inc. Road."  
  
"Monsters, Inc.!" Randall exclaimed, but the gag blotted out the emotion in his voice.  
  
Randall had loved Monsters, Inc. ever since he found out what it was. He had always dreamed of being a Scarer. Everything about the job appealed to him; being able to work for the most widely-known monster in the whole of Monstropolis, Harold N. Waternoose; knowing that he was helping thousands of monsters all around the world; and, what seemed the most tempting to him, getting the respect and recognition every Scarer received. Oh, for so many years he had dreamed about becoming one of them!  
  
His heart raced as the van came to a stop in the vast car-park in front of the factory.  
  
Now, when he was on the doorstep of the place that had been featured in so many of his dreams, he realized how little he knew about the place.  
  
Randall leaned on the door. A joyful smile spread across his face. Sure, they were bound and gagged and about to meet their doom, but actually going inside Monsters, Inc.? It was all worth it.  
  
Chapter 10- Thoughts Ever since Randall was born his parents had always been horrible to him and endlessly compared him with his sister, who also hated this treatment. His brother, on the other hand, had relished seeing Randall being put down. His parent's favourite phrase was "You will NEVER amount to anything," to which Randall had always wanted to prove wrong. But he had a lot to live up to.  
  
He father had previously been a Scarer and a good one at that as he had set the infamous All-Time Scare Record.  
  
When his mother and father died when he was six, Randall was affected greatly and his urge to become a Scarer grew even more. He wanted his parents to be proud of him, even though they were constantly putting his already low self-esteem into new depths.  
  
But he didn't want to be a Scarer just to prove his deceased parents wrong. Maybe, if he became a Scarer, he would be truly happy for the first time in his life. The van door opened and Randall, who had been leaning on it, fell out and onto the hard pavement below. One of the two large monsters who had greeted them with such politeness grabbed Randall by the neck and body and lifted him high into the air while performing a disgusting grin that showed off all his glinting gold teeth. Randall heard some grunts as his other two companions protested against the rough grip of the other monster.  
  
The front door of the van unlocked and the Head-master, who was being carried by a green seven-eyed monster, was brought out into the sunlight.  
  
"Come on, boys!" he shouted with immense effort, but, unlike before when his voice was a cumbersome roar, all they could hear was a faint squeak. Obviously the two henchmen heard him as they were taken round to the side of the building through an almost invisible back door that was surrounded by discarded cardboard boxes.  
  
As they were shoved through the door, Randall couldn't help but let out a little squeal of excitement. Sulley and Mike looked at him as though he were crazy, but before Randall could try and explain, they were pushed through a dark damp corridor and down some worn steps to what seemed like a recreation of a medieval dungeon. 


	4. Chance At Escape

Chapter 11- In the Dungeon Chains hung on the walls and cobwebs dangled down from the ceiling while the steady drip of water fell onto the solid ground. Only after Randall had taken the frankly, quite disturbing scenery in did he notice the dozens of young monsters that were chained to the walls. All of them looked distressed and had mixed emotions. Some of them were screaming for their parents while others were sobbing their hearts out. Randall felt sorry for them, but felt even sorrier for the ones that didn't display any emotion at all.  
  
Much to their surprise, the three school-mates were unbound and their gags were taken off. Randall took this opportunity to make a break for it, but the mammoth hands of the monster that held him were too powerful to overcome.  
  
Randall's hands were thrust into the cuffs and were fastened tight. Mike and Sulley were forced to follow suite.  
  
The Head-master, still being carried along, looked at them in silent pleasure and simply said, "I hope you enjoy your stay." And with that he was carried out of the room, his two henchmen following behind closing the heavy wooden door after them. It was bolted with a metallic clang.  
  
Randall looked around him. This wasn't what he expected Monsters, Inc. to look like.  
  
"This is just the bit underneath the main factory. It isn't like this upstairs. I hope..." Randall tried to convince himself. In the end he forced his mind to think of more pressing matters. I mean, here he was locked up tight in a dungeon underground and he was worrying about the colour of the carpet in the hallways!  
  
"I have GOT to get my priorities right," he said to himself. "There is more important stuff to worry about, like where my sister is right now. She should be in here somewhere..."  
  
Randall looked at each and every individual and tried to find his sister within the mess. As he was looking around he noticed how many different varieties and species of monsters there were in that room. There were monsters with countless eyes, or no eyes at all and there were so many diverse colourings it seemed as though there was a rainbow right in front of his eyes.  
  
There were horned monsters, monsters with sharp teeth; one of them even looked like a friend of his named Fungus. One or two of them looked like Mike and Sulley and there was even another lizard-monster!  
  
"Hold on, that looks like Marie!" he said out loud, his eyes widening in surprise. Then his eyes narrowed, trying to focus on the light blue monster that was on the far side of the room. As he looked closer he noticed all the apparent features and his thoughts were confirmed. It really was his sister!  
  
Chapter 12- Feelings Exposed  
  
The more he looked, the more concerned his expression became. It was his sister, there was no doubt about that, but...she looked somewhat different in a subtle way. Randall couldn't see very well in the penetrating darkness so he opted for another approach instead.  
  
"Marie!" he called out.  
  
The monster lifted her head in alarm. She made eye contact with Randall. They stared at each other, a surge of electricity seeming to pass between them. She smiled. Randall felt a feeling he rarely experienced before in his life; sheer, sweet happiness.  
  
The stable connection between them broke as Mike nudged Randall.  
  
"Look, Lizard-Boy, since you got us here in the first place we expect you to get us out!"  
  
Randall was taken aback by this untrue statement. It wasn't HIS fault that the crazed CEO of the world's largest company chose to use them as guinea- pigs! And Randall wanted to make sure that Mike and Sulley knew this.  
  
"I didn't bring you here! It was YOUR decision to try and help me!" he shouted outraged, triggering the other test experiments to look in curiosity.  
  
Mike replied, his temper also rising. "We didn't want to help a lizard like you! All we were doing is trying to save everyone else! And if you had just helped us beat the big monsters rather then just standing there, watching us like some demented idiot, then we wouldn't be here!"  
  
Randall was hurt by that, but the anger still lingered. He told them what he was thinking.  
  
"None of this is my fault, none of it ever is, but who do you always blame? Me!" Randall continued in a hushed tone, trying not to attract the attention of everyone else.  
  
"I'm fed up of you making it sound as though I caused this. I'm fed up of you shoving all your success with your friends in my face. And I'm fed up of you bullying me. Y'know, if I do manage to get out of this dump I'm not taking you with me. I'd rather just leave you here."  
  
Mike and Sulley stood speechless at their enemy's outburst and waited for him to calm down. Randall glowered ardently at the two of them then turned his head away so as not to reveal the hurt in his eyes.  
  
To calm down the blazing anger that still hung around like a bad smell between the three of them, Sulley started to inspect his chains and then yanked them to see if they would come out of the wall that they were so tightly cemented in. Mike watched Sulley and smiled applauding his efforts. By then the enraged lizard-monster had settled down and was gazing at his sister once more. She smiled as she had done before and Randall's eyes caught something shimmering in the dim light on her cheek.  
  
It was a tear.  
  
Chapter 13- Confirmation  
  
The crab-like monster sat down at his unscratched desk, looking through an assortment of various papers. A stern knock was heard by the newly appointed CEO.  
  
"Come in," he said, his voice straight and even. The oak door opened with a slight creak and two large monsters, one carrying a smaller monster, stepped inside the trophy-filled room and awaited the confirmation before sitting down. The Principle opened his mouth anxiously and greeted Waternoose with warm reception.  
  
"Hello, sir. How are you today? Lovely weather we're ha-"  
  
He was immediately cut-off by the deep grandfatherly voice of Waternoose.  
  
"Enough of the pleasantries," he said, an unusual edge about his tone. "What I need to know is did you get all the children?"  
  
The Head replied. "Yes. Actually, we got a couple more." He chuckled uneasily. "You see, two of them had been eavesdropping but we managed to get them and they're here now."  
  
"Good. Now we've got that sorted," said the tyrant, "I'm going to initiate Step 2." Waternoose smiled balefully. "If the children aren't surprised now...Well, let's just say there's more surprises to come..."  
  
Chapter 14- An Attempt at Escape  
  
Sulley was still struggling with the tough metal chains that bound him but he was not willing to give up. He panted as tiredness overtook him. Curious to see what the lizard-monster had been doing, he twisted his neck and looked at him.  
  
He had done nothing! Sulley was mildly annoyed by this but was quite confused.  
  
Randall giving up?  
  
He didn't know much about Randall's complex personality but he did know that he was incredibly stubborn and wouldn't give up until the job was done. And now, he thought, Randall should be as stubborn as ever.  
  
Mike, the closer to Randall, saw that he was gazing longingly at someone across the far side of the room but couldn't see who; the dungeon was by far too vast. Randall was still in a secure state of happiness and did not notice anything that was going on around him. But a little voice in the back of his mind that Randall hadn't become acquainted with spoke up for the first time in this adventure.  
  
"What are you doing?" it said. "This is a matter of life and death! You can talk to your sister later. For now keep your mind on finding a way out of here!" And that was when Randall realized how stupid he had been. His intelligent reptilian mind started to work once more in its usual logical fashion.  
  
"First," he said to himself, "I've got to get out of these chains." He started to rub them ferociously against the rough stone walls, resulting in him receiving more bewildered looks from anyone who cared to watch.  
  
He stopped. He thought he had heard something; a weird whirring noise which seemed to be coming from the cob-web covered ceiling.  
  
Randall's eyes scanned the area, and every now and then he heard the whirring noise once more. Cautiously looking around the room, he found the source of the noise and the comprehension hit him like a thousand-watt lighting bolt hitting a half-dead tree. It was a camera!  
  
It had been feverishly recording the entire goings on in this miniature hell. Focusing his weary eyes on it, Randall noted the machine's movement. All of a sudden there was a loud clang and the camera turned towards the creator of the sound.  
  
It was Sulley. Obviously he had been trying to break free and, by the looks of it, he was winning his own private battle.  
  
"Sullivan, stop!" Randall exclaimed. "There are cameras," he said, his voice softened a considerable amount. He didn't want whoever was watching them to find out that they knew about them.  
  
"We've got to get rid of them. Anyone got any ideas?" Randall questioned them.  
  
"You're the one who got us here," repeated Mike. "YOU figure it out."  
  
Randall's anger built up again at the mention of whose fault it was. Just as Randall was about to make a witty reply, Sulley butted in.  
  
"Look, you two, if we're going to get out of here you've GOT to stop arguing. OK?"  
  
He eyeballed his companions putting pressure on them and was determined to get this to work.  
  
"Fine," mumbled Mike quietly, looking down at the floor in infuriation, trying to fold his arms but clearly not succeeding because of the chains. Randall let out another one of his trademark sighs, indicating that he didn't want to work with his enemies but preferred to work against them.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Sulley continued, pleased that this method had worked. "Good. Now, first we've got to get rid of those cameras. Any ideas?"  
  
Randall grinned; one of those grins where you knew he had just come onto something. "I think I have an idea..."  
  
Chapter 15- Blurred Vision  
  
After thoroughly discussing the plan and pinpointing and adjusting the finer points to make it flawless, they put it in action.  
  
Mike, with his loud voice, had managed to tell others that were also part of this scheme what to do and they were all set. His heart thumping madly in his chest, Randall took a deep breath.  
  
"This is it," he thought. "It's now or never." He gave the signal which was invisible to those who didn't know what was going on. The signal was a slight nod of the head and firm eye-contact to the one it was intended for. The monster that received it was further down the wall, near the corner of this oddly shaped room. Randall closed his eyes, trying to calm his ecstatic nerves as he awaited the distraction.  
  
He was very worried. This plan was solely his idea and if it went wrong everybody, especially Mike and Sulley, would be quick to blame it on him.  
  
Suddenly a loud roar reverberated around the room, surprising only those who did not expect it. Randall's eyes flew open at the sound and he shouted "Now!" at Sulley.  
  
And he was ready.  
  
The second the furry monster had heard the roar he began to pull the chains which bound him like he had done before but this time with more effort and concentration because the cameras that had been watching with their eye- like lenses were now focused on the producer of the roar. But they were missing all the action.  
  
The chains were becoming loose and dust spilled out of the walls. Mike and Randall watched eagerly, every second becoming more hopeful. With one last grunt the chains were torn from the walls with a gigantic force. The other captives had cottoned on by then and were cheering with joy. And they were not the only ones.  
  
Randall was pleased that the plan was working so far, but it wasn't over yet. Sulley let out a quick sigh of relief as he was overjoyed to be free and then walked over to Randall and began to pull his chains out in an attempt to release him. He was about halfway there when he heard a divergent sound.  
  
By that time the captives had quietened down and watched only in silent hope.  
  
Thankfully the unusual noise had stopped.  
  
Sulley resumed his job. He was nearly there. Only one more chain to go. If only Randall didn't have so many limbs, otherwise he would have been done by now.  
  
Randall was beginning to get impatient. They didn't have a very long time; the cameras would be back soon.  
  
Sulley was straining with the last chain while Mike watched in jealousy.  
  
Why wasn't Sulley freeing him, his best friend, rather than some creepy lizard?  
  
"I bet that plan of his is fake. Actually, he's probably working with the people who put us here in the first place!" Mike continued to think badly of Randall all the way through this episode of struggle.  
  
Randall had reached the end of his very short tether. "You're taking so long I bet the camera's back on us again. In fact, that's quite pointless because by the time you're done we'll have died of old age and become prehistoric!" he shouted at Sulley with a growl, but Sulley did not reply. Instead he broke the final chain with a smile at the lizard-monster's badly- timed comment. He then held a hand up to the camera and, still facing Randall, said, "I freed you, and is the camera on us?"  
  
Randall looked up at it while the whirring sound began again.  
  
"Well, it wasn't a second ago, but now it is." 


	5. Pipe Crawling

Chapter 16- Caught Once Again  
  
Sulley opened his mouth in surprise and swivelled round to be confronted with his own reflection in the camera lens. He turned back round to where Randall was previously standing to find that he had gone. He looked around the room in bewilderment to spot Randall taking the gag off another captive whose blindfold had been left on him.  
  
Randall swiftly ungagged him and slithered on all eights to where the closest camera hung. The reason why Sulley had not taken the camera out with his own fist was because it was much too high to reach and it probably would have hurt; the camera looked strong.  
  
Randall climbed up the wall without a sound while the camera was unknowingly turning the other way. Randall stopped. His timing had to be perfect.  
  
"3...2...1" he counted in his head. Then, slithering across the wall as fast as a cheetah hunting a plump deer, the gag that he had collected in one of his upper hands, he bounded and blinded the camera lens. All that the monsters who were watching the CCTV saw was a dirty white as though it had been snowing in a thick fog.  
  
Randall repeated this until nearly all the cameras that surveyed the dungeon were blinded. He knew that this would put whoever was watching them on alert so their time was extremely limited.  
  
Randall elegantly leapt from the wall just as Sulley had finished releasing Mike.  
  
He ran over to the door, his brain working overtime. A lot of the monsters that weren't freed were gazing longingly at Sulley as if their hopeful looks would convince him to help. But he didn't, even though it was tempting. They had a plan and he was going to stick by it. Anyway, they were going to come back for them as soon as they had got some keys. It was not as though they were going to desert them. That wasn't part of Randall's plan. Was it?  
  
Now that he thought about it Randall might. He remembered what Randall had said before.  
  
If I do manage to get out of this dump I'm not taking you with me. I'd rather just leave you here.  
  
The words sent a shiver done his spine.  
  
Sulley's thoughts were interrupted by the monster he was currently thinking about.  
  
"Sullivan, get over here! Now!" Randall hollered, waiting by the door. Mike was also running to the exit. Sulley shook his head, trying to get his mind out of the candyfloss clouds and back onto earth. Jogging to the door, he tried to get rid of all his doubtful thoughts but they still bothered him like a mother nagging a child for letting the mutt bring unwanted dirt into the house.  
  
Randall saw the fur-rug running towards him so he lifted the heavy piece of wood that blocked their way of escape and clasped the door-handle.  
  
Finally, they were going to get out of there. It seemed as though hours had passed since they had been brought to Monsters, Inc., but Randall was mainly relieved that his plan had worked and he wasn't going to get any form of blame or scolding from anyone, including his two arch-enemies. Randall was about to turn the door-knob when it turned of its own accord.  
  
"What the..." Randall began to say, but before he could complete his sentence the door swung quickly open with a slight creak and hit him squarely in the chest and slightly clipped an arm. He backed away from the living door, clutching his chest and his arm with a wince. By that time Sulley had caught up with the other two, and, like them, he was looking with dread at the door, or rather, what had opened it.  
  
Two immense monsters stood in the doorway, also surprised.  
  
"Err...Boss?" one of the idiots said. "Sumfinks wrong."  
  
"What is it now? Look, just let me through..." said another voice, deeper and slower.  
  
The two monsters parted and in between them came through the legendary Waternoose. Randall recognised him immediately as a member of one of the richest families in the whole of Monstropolis and he knew by the expression on his face that he was most displeased. The three young monsters gave each other some panicked glances (actually, Mike and Sulley did; Randall was still trying to catch his breath after the terrible blow that he had had to suffer) before deciding what to do.  
  
They turned heel and ran.  
  
Chapter 17- Through the Tunnel  
  
Sulley was out in front, Mike following close behind him and Randall was bringing up the rear. That hit he had received affecting was him greatly and he soon ran out of breath. His arm was incredibly sore and was so painful it felt as though it was about to explode.  
  
But he carried on running, determined to catch up with the others.  
  
As the three escapees ran the length of the dungeon, the pounding footsteps behind them making them more fearful, they began to notice something coming up and rising out of the darkness. Sulley reached it first and began to frantically pat it, disbelieving. It was a wall. They had come to a dead end.  
  
Mike joined his buddy and turned around just in time to see Randall coming towards them being closely followed by the two monsters that they had met earlier. Mike's eye widened, his pupil dilating as he started to tug at his friend's fur.  
  
"Mike, we're kind of in a situation here. What is it?" snapped Sulley; desperate to find a hidden passageway that he had heard a couple of other trapped monsters talk about before.  
  
"Just find the right brick, and get a move on! Any time soon would be great, I mean, I'm not complaining or anything."  
  
He had barely finished his sentence when Randall came crashing to the wall, obviously still in pain. The monsters were getting closer now and they were starting to get panicky.  
  
"I've got it!" Sulley cried out, his voice dripping with happiness but edged with urgency. He had pushed a brick in causing a passageway to become apparent. He hurriedly got to his knees and crawled, still being ushered by Mike. Once Sulley had gotten in, Randall was next.  
  
The henchmen were now WAY too close for comfort.  
  
"Come on, come on, come on..." Mike repeated, shoving Randall's tail into the entrance of the passageway. "Get a move on, Lizard-Boy!"  
  
Randall was now fully in the small gap so Mike followed after him. The henchmen had just arrived at the passageway and the first one grabbed at one of Mike's legs. They began to pull him out.  
  
"Help! Help me!" he screamed, trying to get a firm grip on the metal floor. Randall heard his cries and, being so thin, managed to turn around in that confined space. Once he had got his whip-like tail out of the way, he seized Mike's arms and began to pull. Even though he would have preferred to leave Mike to fend for himself, he knew that the Cyclops had a big mouth and, when given a chance, he would blab. Randall grunted, the pain in his chest and arm getting worse with each tug.  
  
The two monsters that had pursued them were strong but they had a weak grip on Mike. With one last yank from the lizard-monster they were forced to let go just as their boss, Waternoose, was coming into view.  
  
The second Mike was free Randall let go of him and, once again, held his arm; the pain was intense. He then turned around and began to follow after Sulley who didn't know what was going on; he wasn't able to turn around as the pipe was by far too narrow for him.  
  
Mike scrambled up as far as he could and then lay on his front, out of breath. They had escaped.  
  
But only just.  
  
Chapter 18- Collecting the Captives  
  
"Where are they?" Waternoose demanded. "You didn't let them escape, did you?"  
  
The two big henchmen made the scene look amusing by cringing under the stern stare of their boss who was half the size of them.  
  
"YOU IMBECILES! If they escape and tell the CDA what they've seen...No. You're going to stop them before they get that far. You." Waternoose shook his head towards the furry henchman to the left of him.  
  
"M...me, sir?" he said with a slight stutter.  
  
"Yes, you. Go back to the upper-floors and get some of your friends. Block all of the exits. They must NOT be able to leave the building. Understood?" The monster had already started walking to the dungeon's door when he replied.  
  
"Yes, sir." He walked into the darkness, the silence being vaguely disturbed by his echoing footsteps.  
  
"And I want you," Waternoose continued, "to get a couple of the captives so we can perform our first test of the machine. We've been delayed long enough and I will personally make sure that those who have made an attempt at escape won't delay me any further." The henchman was quick to answer.  
  
"Which ones, sir?"  
  
The CEO rolled his eyes at the unnecessary question. "It doesn't matter. Five or six will do. Oh, and get that lizard-girl over there; she looks a bit like one of those that has tried to escape. With luck, they might be relatives." He smiled with a chuckle. "Once you have got them, bring them to the lab. I'm going over there now to tell Cyrus to prepare for the hostages, so I'll be waiting."  
  
He made final eye-contact with his employee, nodded and then left. His henchman was left in the shadows, the only source of light coming from torches dotted along the crumbling brick walls.  
  
Chapter 19- A Little Conversation  
  
The three-some had been crawling for ten minutes without a word to each other. Mike broke that record. "Hey, Randall?" he said uneasily.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why did you save me back there?" Mike had been wondering this ever since that noticeable event had happened, but, in a way, he was afraid of the answer.  
  
"Because, OW!" Randall had caught his tail in a sharp grate. As he untangled it he carried on where he had left off. "Because if I hadn't got you and just left you there with the other monsters there would have been three consequences; A, you would probably blab and we would get caught because of your big mouth, B, Sullivan would hold a grudge with me and C, you would hold a grudge with me."  
  
This was the answer Mike was hoping for.  
  
"Oh...right." They carried on. Mike was relieved. He didn't want Randall to have saved him because he cared. That would make everything awkward.  
  
VERY awkward.  
  
That would mean that he would owe Randall one, and who knows what Randall would ask for as a favour?  
  
"But," said that annoying little thing called a conscience that lived in Mike's cosy (and spacious) head, "he DID save your life. So, technically, you owe him one whether you like it or not."  
  
"Stupid conscience," Mike thought. "It always makes things worse."  
  
But, unbeknownst to the three of them, things were about to get a lot worst before they got better.  
Top of Form  
Bottom of Form 


	6. Meeting Once Again

Hope you've enjoyed the story so far! A lot will be revealed in the next few chappys, so keep reading and reviewing. And, to be honest, I can't be stuffed to write the disclaimer. Just read the top of the first page if you are that desperate!  
  
Chapter 20- The Machine  
  
Waternoose opened the discreet door of the hideaway and walked down the steep corridor. The metal hallway led to a large room with high ceilings covered in a complex network of pipes that filled every corner in sight except for the only supply of light; the skylight. Birds twittered above, unaware that directly beneath them lay a machine that, as Waternoose had said many times before, would "revolutionize the Scaring Industry."  
  
And he was right.  
  
If the Board of Directors allowed this to become the main method of collecting screams Waternoose would make a lot of money, let alone creating a spectacular reputation for himself. Which was exactly what he wanted.  
  
The machine stood proudly in the centre of the room and, next to it, modifying it and adjusting some nuts and bolts, was its creator. Waternoose tapped the lizard-monster lightly on the back. He jumped swiftly off the machine and gave Waternoose a quick, toothy smile.  
  
"Hello Waternoose. So, what do ya think?" he questioned optimistically.  
  
"Good. And I'll think even higher of it if it works."  
  
"Don't worry, sir. It works. I can guarantee it."  
  
Just then a fusion of sounds came from the corridor; some loud thumping footsteps mixed in with the recognisable cry of several children in distress. Waternoose's henchman came into the fading light of day.  
  
"I've got them sir," he said, implying to the young monsters he held in his long, stiff arms.  
  
"Good. Put them over there." Waternoose pointed to a couple of rusty cages that were situated in the corner of the room. The furry monster strode over to where Waternoose had pointed and stuffed them into the cages, ignoring the weak protests that they dared to give out. They were getting desperate.  
  
Waternoose turned back round to face the lizard-monster called Cyrus.  
  
"Is the machine absolutely ready?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The crab was pleased with the firm answer and walked over to the cages, eyeing each of the captives that were unfortunate enough to be chosen for this experiment. Finally, Waternoose chose his prey.  
  
"This one; the lizard-girl. Maybe if she and the escapee are really relatives it might knock some sense into him, and give him second thoughts about trying to escape from a member of the Waternoose family."  
  
Cyrus looked up at the mention of the lizard-girl. The lone henchman took out his keys as Marie began to plead.  
  
"Please, don't do this! I will do anything, just not this!" She yelped as the grip of Waternoose's employee overcame her already failing strength. He grabbed her by the neck and heaved her into the chair where she could see the machine properly for the first time.  
  
It was massive and cast a long shadow. It seemed to be made out of things found around Monsters, Inc. but engineered wit expert hands. As she saw the machine in the light, she was thrust into the light herself and Cyrus, the inventor, saw her for the first time. He opened his mouth with a gasp and took off his sunglasses to reveal bright yellow eyes.  
  
"Marie."  
  
Chapter 21- Banishing the Bullying  
  
"OK, that's IT."  
  
"What is it THIS time, Wazowski?" Randall said, his annoyed voice perfectly fitting his expression. Mike carried on, ignoring the interruption but nevertheless answering the question.  
  
"We've been crawling for half an hour in a pipe, and I, for one, am getting bored of it."  
  
Randall growled.  
  
Couldn't this loudmouth be content with the fact that they were about to be free? No. And did he even say "well done" or at least "thank you" at Randall's brilliant flawless plan? No. Randall was really getting sick and tired of him, and, with such a short temper, that wasn't a good thing. So, of course, Mike had to carry on.  
  
"And do you even KNOW where we're going? Hmm?"  
  
That was it.  
  
Randall had been patient with the olive for long enough (or, so he thought) but now he couldn't hold his anger in for any longer. He swept round and did a 180* turn in the tunnel coming face to face with Mike.  
  
"That is IT. I've had enough of your moaning. I've had enough of your complaining, and guess what? I've had enough of YOU. If you don't close that big trap of yours I will have no choice but to close it for you. Get the picture?" If Mike hadn't been surprised at Randall's outbursts before, this did it. Here they were, in the middle of a pipe, and the monster he had bullied and taken control of for so long was now standing up to him. And, as he backed away from the lizard-monster nervously, one thought was transmitted from Randall's mind to Mike's without Randall needing to say it.  
  
Now you're getting a taste of what I've been having for years.  
  
Randall turned around, looked fiercely at Sulley who had been watching the pair of them worriedly, and continued to slither his way. Mike carried on, his mouth firmly shut as the silence that had once ruled came back into power. But not for long.  
  
"Hey, I've found something," said Sulley, stopping to look at what he had discovered. Randall peered over his shoulder with interest than sighed.  
  
"It's called a vent Sullivan. Big whoop."  
  
"No, look," Sulley said, knowing that Randall's judgement was too quick. He crawled forward a bit then lowered himself slightly, allowing Randall to get a better look while Mike stayed in the background.  
  
They were directly above a machine of some sort. Randall looked at it with confusion, then with surprise at what it was pointing to.  
  
"It's Marie! We've got to save her!"  
  
Chapter 22- Mysteries Solved  
  
"Cyrus?" Marie stared while he stepped forward into the light.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But.I thought.what happened?" She questioned him apprehensively, not sure whether it was him or some sort of hallucination. But, once she had looked at him for a couple of seconds, her suspicions grew into happiness and relief, but also a thick confusion. She was now certain that it was him; no- one had such deep black scales as he did, nor did anyone have such florescent yellow eyes, so bright and powerful that he wore sunglasses to keep the weird looks that he received at bay. His tail and fronds were a dark blood-red, completing the bizarre package.  
  
Although Marie was happy, she did not smile at Cyrus' presence. She awaited an answer for her question, but none came. Instead, Cyrus looked down at the ground showing slight signs of embarrassment.  
  
"What happened?" Marie asked yet again. "We thought you were dead; it was all over the news about how your place was set on fire!" Even at these remarkable comments, Cyrus still looked intently at the ground. He sighed, not unlike Randall had many times before, and began to tell his tale.  
  
"As you should know, I left school early at 17 to get out of the orphanage. I hated it there so it was a great relief to be free. The first thing I knew I needed to do was to find a job, earn some money and get a place to live. At first I thought it was going to be easy like on those TV shows, but it's a lot harder than it looks. But in the end I managed to find a job working in a.supermarket." Cyrus cringed slightly. "Even though the pay was rubbish, it WAS a job, so I looked for a place to live."  
  
"After a while I found a little apartment in the centre of the city. It was small, but it was enough for me. The rent seemed reasonable, but when I got my first pay-check I began to get in debt. My one job wasn't enough. I looked for another job, but, as you know, there are a lot of downsides to being a reptile-monster, and not being able to get a decent job is one of them."  
  
"In the end I had to come to terms with the fact that I was seriously in debt. And I'm not talking a couple of quid. I'm talking hundreds. And, unfortunately for me, my Landlord didn't take kindly to people who don't pay their rent. He started to come onto me about it, and even gave me a deadline. That was when I KNEW I was in big trouble."  
  
Cyrus closed his eyes, took a breath deeper than the ocean, and looked back up at Marie.  
  
"I was scared. I didn't have any ideas of what to do. I asked one of my mates and told him the story, and, as it happens, he had heard of my Landlord. Actually, everyone had except me. When you're cooped up in an orphanage for so long, you kinda miss the news. You should know; you've had the same experience. The problem was that my Landlord had been put up for some serious charges. Things like fraud, robbery, and even murder."  
  
"I started to panic. There was no way out and nobody would help me."  
  
Marie interrupted in a voice so unlike her own. She was coming to tears. "You could have asked us, Cy! I would have been there for you! I would have helped you!"  
  
Cyrus shouted back at his sister, livid. "I couldn't let Randall see me like this! He would've gone about it for years after! No, I couldn't put up with such ridicule from him, of all monsters."  
  
Marie was stunned. "Randy wouldn't do that! I know he wouldn't."  
  
"Well," Cyrus continued, "it seems like I'm the only one who know his bad side."  
  
A stillness followed in which the only sound that could be heard was Waternoose yawning. The CEO didn't expect this to happen, of all things! But he knew what it was like to have an untrustworthy brother, so, in respect for Cyrus, he let him carry on. He wouldn't have under usual circumstances but he had had the same excruciating experience.  
  
Cyrus and Marie had both settled down after their emotions had got the better of them so the tale was continued. All the while this was happening, Randall, Mike and Sulley had all been eavesdropping in on the conversation. When the silence once again returned it was so quiet you could hear an ant dropping a pin on a piece of cotton.  
  
Randall had so many thoughts revolving around in his head; so many, he honestly didn't know what to think. But he was saved the trouble of picking an issue from an array of problems by Cyrus' voice.  
  
"I was desperate. I had gotten a little note before the deadline. It had said two simple words; "don't forget." The first thing I thought about this was "how can I forget?" Ever since my friend had told me about my Landlords rep, my week was filled with a lot of stress and sleepless nights so, no, I wasn't going to forget anytime soon. The following day I sat in my apartment waiting for the inevitable. I had tried everything and everybody, but nothing had worked. Before I knew it I heard a rap on the door and was about to open it.  
  
"This is it," I thought. "The end."  
  
"So, I opened the door expecting the worse. But it was just an old crab bloke who I didn't even know." Waternoose frowned at this description. "He told me that his name was Harold N. Waternoose and that he wanted to help me. Just after Waternoose had explained everything, my Landlord came in looking as mean and tough as ever. I was frightened witless but I knew he wouldn't hurt me with Waternoose there. Ya see, Harold had just found out that he would inherit the company of Monsters, Inc. from his father, much to his brother, Henry's dismay. Now was Harold's chance to prove that he could run the company as well as his father had done before him."  
  
"Harold Waternoose decided to build a machine that would collect screams ten times as quickly as usual. Or rather, hire someone to do it for him. That's me."  
  
Cyrus smiled proudly.  
  
"To help me he paid off all my debts in exchange for my undying loyalty to him and the machine. But, at the time, the machine was illegal so we had to fake my death. I set fire to my place and left a trail of clues for the police to find and to prove my death. And, as revenge, all the trails of clues led to my old Landlord." Cyrus chuckled. "And, y'know, it was SO simple. The police and the CDA are very easy to manipulate. So, here we are." 


	7. Past and Present

Chapter 23- Glimpse of the Past  
  
Randall got down from Sulley's shoulder and slumped against the pipe. His breath seemed to have been caught in his throat; the story had surprised him. He felt like crying, but with the presence of Mike and Sulley, he couldn't. Not in front of them.  
  
He closed his eyes and laid his head against the cold metal. The past day or so had been incredibly active, so therefore tiring. But now wasn't the time to relax. He had to save his sister; he didn't trust Cyrus to let her go, not after what he had done. And it wasn't only what Cyrus had done recently that made him, in Randall's eyes, deceitful.  
  
Ever since they were young, even when their parents were alive, Randall and Cyrus fought incessantly and had vicious arguments so many times that they had both lost count a while ago (but Randall was sure it had gone into triple digits.) They fought about the smallest of things; who had broken their father's prized DNA model; who had kicked the neighbour's cat; everything. And most of the time it was Cyrus.  
  
As Randall sat back, thinking about his past that was littered with betrayal and deceit, he began to feel sick. Not sick as though he wanted to throw up, but the kind of sickness that makes you really doubt all the goodness in the world. As memories flashed by him, one particular memory lingered.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
It was the evening and, as the sun set over the lonely streets in the middle of a near deserted city, the birds ceased their twittering and cooing and retreated back to the half-dead trees which suffered from the unstoppable drought. They flocked back to their safe-havens producing extravagant patterns across the sky. The stray cats and dogs that could be seen roaming the streets all day returned to their dirty alleyways and mouldy cardboard-boxes awaiting the night. All the creatures that lived in this depressed town had arrived back to their homes.  
  
Except for one.  
  
Randall and Marie sat by the dying fire cuddled up close to each other while their parents sat and talked in the kitchen. Even thought the door was firmly shut, some words were audible. But the twins didn't bother to listen; they knew what their parents were saying.  
  
Cyrus had been missing for a week already, and it hadn't surprised either of the two that sat by the smouldering flames. Cyrus had just gone on, what Randall had called, one of his daily "walkabouts." Every three to four months Cyrus would go to school one day and would not come back. Sometimes he would return a week later, but the length of these peculiar adventures usually was at least a month. And in that month Randall's parents, Ralph and Annie, would be deeply anxious.  
  
Frequently, they would put on an act as the "walkabout" became more common, but this was one time too many. So, they sat in the kitchen discussing what to do, Annie's sobs punctuated by Ralph's sharp, crisp voice. And all Randall and Marie could do was comfort each other and wait.  
  
Eventually, after what seemed like hours of talking, Ralph opened the kitchen door and sat down beside the twins. He gave each of them a firm hug.  
  
"Time for bed, you two. It's getting late. Come on, your mother will take you up." He stood up and led the siblings into the kitchen.  
  
Annie smiled. They had grown a lot; she could tell by their size and weight as she lifted Marie up with her upper hands. Randall stayed firmly on the ground, not wanting his mother to pick him up. He started to climb up the stairs, Annie and Marie following behind as the musty smell of moth-balls wafted between the two floors.  
  
"Have you both brushed your teeth?"  
  
"Yes, mum," they replied in unison. She smiled once again, but this time not so exaggerated. They had learnt so much on their own; reading and writing stories at such a young age: they were only five. The three went into the twin's bedroom, the soft blue carpet a relief after the rough wooden floors that covered the hallways.  
  
Randall jumped up onto the bottom bunk as his mother lifted Marie high up, letting her climb up onto her bed. After a final hug and kiss for Marie, she knelt down and gave her son a quick squeeze, then held him at arms- length.  
  
"You are growing up to be a handsome young monster, aren't you?" Randall grinned at this and reached forward to give his mother another hug while she carried on.  
  
"Clever, too. Maybe one day you'll get a distinction in piano like Marie has done with the flute so many times." Randall grimaced at this, but his scowl son faded away as he convinced himself that he didn't care. Anyway, Marie was treated well, and that was all that really mattered to him. "You've just got to try harder," his mother said. "You might not have the potential that Marie has, but you might be able to do something with your life."  
  
Randall turned his gaze away from his mother. He knew that she was proud of him in some ways, but Marie would always be her favourite. Annie tucked Randall in tightly and then stood up.  
  
"Goodnight, Marie." She closed the bedroom door making certain to leave a gap so a single shaft of light from the night-light in the hallway would shine through.  
  
Making sure that the coast was clear, Randall slipped off the covers of his bed and climbed up the ladder to see Marie. He knew how concerned she was about Cyrus; more than she was letting on. Slinking to the top of the bed, he whispered her name.  
  
"Marie?"  
  
"I'm here, Randy." She sat up, her silhouette clear in the slit of moonlight that shone through a gap in the faded curtains. Randall crawled up beside her and sat down. Turning to face her, he cuddled her cosily and she hugged him back, tears welling up in her dazzling green eyes.  
  
"Hey, Rand?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think.Cy will be back?" Randall sighed, not knowing what to say.  
  
"He always did before, so why shouldn't he this time?"  
  
Marie was reassured by the words of her brother. It was true that Cy could look after himself; he had proved this many times before. But he was still only ten years old and a monster of that age shouldn't be wondering the streets alone, or be wherever he was. He belonged at home; that much, Marie was sure of. Deep down, she knew Cyrus would be alright, but sometimes she needed reminding, and when she did, Randall was always there for her. His loyalty towards her was amazing, and she always made sure to return it. There was a unique bond between the two of them; something that was truly priceless and irreplaceable. Something that shouldn't be wasted.  
  
And Marie knew it, which was why she treasured every single second with him as though they would never see each other again. But, in a way, she felt she had to be like this for Randall; she was all he had got, after all, unless you counted a mother and a brother who hated him, and a father who was always away on work anyway. So, to make up for this, she loved Randall with all her heart and would sacrifice her life for him in seconds. What made this relationship special was that he would do the same.  
  
"Rand?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
He let go of her and began to make his way back to the safety of his own bed. He lifted up the covers and snuggled in his bed falling to sleep, the only noise in the whole of the house being the soft sobbing of his mother in the next room.  
  
Chapter 24- Preparing For Attack  
  
Randall's eyes slowly opened as the memory faded away. The reminder of what torture Cyrus had put his family though had made him hate his brother even more. When Cy had gone missing it had hurt the twins a lot, Randall as much as Marie even though he pretended he didn't care. But Marie had really suffered from the absence of her older brother. If Cyrus had hurt her once, what was stopping him from hurting her again?  
  
With all of these thoughts muddled up in his head, it was hard to come to a conclusion, but once Randall had hurriedly gone through it again, it seemed simple enough. Cyrus was a danger to Marie and everyone else and he had to be stopped.  
  
"Move aside, Sullivan." Sulley crawled to his left slightly forming a gap just big enough for the lizard-monster. Randall looked down at the room and made some important final decisions.  
  
"Randall, what are you going to do?" Sulley asked curiously.  
  
"Why do ya wanna know?"  
  
Sulley looked back at Mike who was staying well away from Randall, and chose the right words to say.  
  
"Maybe me and Mike can help." This shocked everyone in the pipe except Sulley who was, for once, being totally honest with Randall. Sulley had a logical way of thinking; he knew Randall wouldn't leave his sister for obvious reasons and he couldn't bear to leave him after all that he had done for them.  
  
Mike, on the other hand, was thinking the exact opposite. "Why does Sul want to help him?" he thought frantically. "Sure, he has helped us but we helped him with the plan. We're all evens. No one owes anyone anything." But the voice that lived in Mike's head (and sounded remarkably like his mother) butted in once again.  
  
"Ah, but you do owe him something. Actually, you owe him quite a lot. He's saved your life more than once, y'know. The least you could do is stick around and help him get his sister."  
  
Mike growled. That voice was really starting to bug him, but what bugged him even more was that it was making sense. Mike shook his head.  
  
"I'm too nice for my own good," he said out loud.  
  
Sulley and Randall turned around, Sulley curious and Randall bewildered. "Since when was HE nice?" Randall thought. He then turned to Sulley who was licking his lips awkwardly. Then, right on cue, Randall's stomach rumbled as if to say "have you forgotten about me?" But all it did was remind him of how hungry he was. Randall emptied his mind of all interesting and lavishing thoughts of food and concentrated on Sulley's previous question.  
  
"Randall.." Sulley began, but Randall stopped him.  
  
"Look Sullivan.I." He looked up at Sulley who was surveying him with sorrow in his eyes. Then Randall smiled quickly and modestly.  
  
"Help would be much appreciated."  
  
Chapter 25- Attack  
  
Waternoose was getting irritated. "Start the machine. I can't wait any longer," he demanded. Cyrus nodded.  
  
"Yeah, sure, just after I've changed Marie for someone else and-"He was interjected by an enraged crab.  
  
"You will do NO SUCH THING, do you hear me? She's in the seat. Now all you have to do is push the button." Cyrus gasped, threw a shaky look at Marie and then amplified his thoughts around the room like a loudspeaker on full blast.  
  
"You expect me to do this to my own sister? YOU'RE CRAZY!" Waternoose raised himself, now coming to twice the height of the coal-coloured lizard- monster.  
  
"When I tell you what to do, you do it. Now get over there and SWITCH THE MACHINE ON!"  
  
"Or what?" Cyrus risked saying.  
  
"Or I will banish you," Waternoose retorted. Cyrus nearly doubled up. Banishment! That obscure thought had never crossed his reptilian mind.  
  
"Get over there." Cyrus' hands shook as he tottered over to the metallic control panel and started to rev up the machine. He was scared. He had no- one to run to; nowhere to turn. He had no choice. His black forefinger hovered over the activate button while Waternoose watched him expectantly. Meanwhile, Marie had begun to cry.  
  
Her own blood-brother doing such a treacherous thing to her? It couldn't be possible. She thought she knew Cyrus in and out, like the back of her hand. "Sometimes he can go a bit extreme, anyone in our family can, but this is ridiculous!" That last thought escaped from and her mind went as blank as a chalk board that had been cleaned by the class nerd as the machine began to gradually move towards her. But she had time to say her final words before the machine sucked out all her cries and terrors.  
  
"Randall was right!" she shrieked to Cyrus. "You ARE a traitor! You're no brother of mine."  
  
Cyrus stood not moving a muscle, eyes wide and hand on chest as his heart was hammering so hard it felt as though it would jump right our of his body and bounce away. But, even as his heart went into overtime without any extra pay, he felt as though he would die. He WAS considering pressing the activate button before Marie had said her last words but now his hand was firmly by his side.  
  
"DO IT!" Waternoose screamed. "DO IT NOW!" He ran towards Cyrus madly and was just about to push the button when suddenly an enormous tinny clatter filled the room.  
  
It was then that several things happened at once; a figure dropped down from the ceiling like an angel from heaven that had lost its wings and landed directly on Cyrus pushing him away from the panel and onto a grimy wall; another figure, taller and furry also plunged down and ran behind the machine; and a final figure which seemed more like a volleyball than an actual being, plummeted down aiming for Waternoose but unfortunately missing by a metre or so.  
  
He landed on the floor with a thump.  
  
Chaos had been kept in a miniscule cage with the key thrown into an endless pit, but now it had found the strength to bend the bars as though they were made out of stringy cheese and escape.  
  
And chaos it was.  
  
Randall was now beating the living daylights out of Cyrus ignoring his yelps of pain. He then tore him from the wall and threw him onto the ground. He loomed over his older brother, arms folded with a smug look about his face. Leaning forward he seized Cyrus' sunglasses and flung them aside. He looked deep into Cyrus' eyes seeing his own morphed reflection.  
  
"I've been waiting for this for a long time." Randall lifted his left arm, ready to punch when Cyrus swept his red tail underneath him, tripping him up. The second Randall made contact with the floor Cyrus was onto him like scale-rash. He pinned his sibling down and stared at him, intimidating him as he had done for so many years.  
  
"So have I." 


	8. A Fight for Honour

Chapter 26- Cooking Crab  
  
Mike lifted himself up off the floor, mumbled some gobbledegook and held his head between his hands trying to make sense of everything that was going on. One word drifted into his mind.  
  
"Waternoose! Where is he?" Mike asked himself, scanning the room for any signs of a crab, but he couldn't find a single thing. The reason of that was because Waternoose was right behind him.  
  
Waternoose had several advantages over Mike, one of them being the spanner held securely in his hand. Mike turned around to continue his search but it had already ended. Waternoose held the spanner high in the air ready to strike. But a noise from behind him prohibited him.  
  
"Mike, look out!" Sulley called creating the perfect distraction. Waternoose turned around and didn't find anything. Using his (occasionally) quick mind, Sulley had zipped back round behind the machine. Once again ready, turned back around to find his victim had vanished.  
  
Mike stood up behind the crab having efficiently crawled beneath him. He grabbed a Scream Canister that had seemed to have been modified and tried to muster up the strength to lift it, but it was much too heavy. Not comprehending what was going on, Waternoose had heard the sound of Mike's efforts and flew back around to face him. Mike was nearly there but what he really needed was a helping hand from a dedicated (and at least reasonably strong) friend.  
  
And it came.  
  
"Let me help you, buddy." Sulley came out from behind the inactive machine, ran full throttle at Mike and lifted the Scream Canister without concern. Waternoose did not expect this and backed away from the new force that would surely be his downfall.  
  
Sulley looked down at Mike.  
  
"What did you want to do with this?" He held up the empty canister. Mike chuckled.  
  
"Umm.Maybe throw it at him. Knock him out or something. Heh."  
  
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Sulley dropped the canister with ease and strode up to Waternoose who was backing away into a corner. Sulley punched him with twice the force he had ever burdened Randall with. The crab flopped against the wall. He was knocked out. Mike galloped up to Sulley.  
  
"Good one, Sul! That was great! You should have seen his face from where I was stan-" Sulley quietened his excited little friend.  
  
"Not now, Mike. Later. We have things to do." The henchman that had been standing in the shadows and watching in complete amazement had now come to his senses and was advancing upon the best friends.  
  
Chapter 27- Free At Last  
  
All the while this was happening, Marie had been uncomfortably strapped in the chair observing the goings on. It was like a soap opera. Everyone was fighting and having unnecessary battles and she was powerless to stop it. She wriggled around in her chair, trying to get free but to no avail. She was just wasting her already faltering strength.  
  
When the three of them had first made their grand entrance, she had been gob-smacked. Marie didn't expect anyone to save her; she had thought Randall had left her for good. Now she thought about it that was the stupidest thing to think. Randall would never leave her; she knew that and this was just more evidence for a case already proven.  
  
Joy had taken away all her sorrows and when she saw Randall a new kind of determination had erupted in the deep confines of her soul. But now all he was doing was fighting Cy. It was as though everyone had forgotten her. And they had.  
  
Until Sulley realized that the whole point of doing this in the first place was to free Marie, and they hadn't yet completed the mission objective. While he warded off the protruding henchman, he told Mike to free Marie as quickly as possible; he was sire that he could handle the henchman without any help.  
  
"OK, bud!" Mike called back before skidding to a stop at Marie.  
  
"Finally."  
  
"Sorry about the delay," Mike babbled, "but we've been kinda busy getting rid of Waternoose and his henchman."  
  
"OK, OK, I get the point," Marie said in an annoyed tone even though she was really pleased that somebody had remembered her. Mike pulled at the piece of metal that bound her but it wouldn't budge. He did a quick sweep of the room to find something that would somehow get Marie free when it hit him like a car running over a wandering rabbit.  
  
"The control panel!" He jogged over towards it, slid to a stop on the slippery floor and looked down at the buttons. Which one?  
  
"Umm.this one! No.this one! No.oh for crying out loud, haven't any of these guys heard of labels!?" He pressed a button in a vague attempt to eliminate the number of options down to one or two. It started the machine.  
  
"NO, not THAT one!" He pressed the button again in panic but was thankful when the machine died down.  
  
"OK.OK.this one." He pushed a bright green one for a good reason: it looked pretty. He put his hand over his eye and repeated some words of comfort to himself.  
  
"Please be this one, please be this one, please be." He stopped when a little screeching noise started and then stopped as hastily as it had come. Parting his fingers he peeked at the sit to see if it had worked.  
  
It had! The bar had folded away. But where was Marie?  
  
"Boo!" Marie popped up in front of Mike scaring the living daylights out of him.  
  
"Ahh!" Mike yelled as he scooted as far away from Marie as he could. She laughed openly, a beautiful smile spread across her face. Sulley ran towards the pair of them having dealt with the henchman. Mike began to complain.  
  
"Did you see what she just did? Did you see that? She's worse than her brother!" Marie giggled.  
  
"Well, I am pretty bad," She admitted, "but not as bad as Randall!" Mike shook his head.  
  
"Why me?" he asked the ceiling. "Anyways Sul, did you get rid of him?"  
  
"Yep. Easy. He won't be coming after us, that's for sure."  
  
"Great. Now all we've got to do is stop World War Three over there and then get out of here." Marie stepped forward.  
  
"Leave that to me."  
  
Chapter 28- Sibling Rivalry  
  
While Marie was being freed, World War Three, as Mike had called it, was at its peak of mass destruction. Randall made sounds of pain as Cyrus crudely picked him up off the floor and slammed him against a cylinder-shaped pillar which supported the ceiling of the room. Shock spread around him as his front was pushed against the ice-cold stone. Cyrus snatched one of Randall's arms and roughly bent it behind his back, putting so much pressure on it that it would soon crack.  
  
Randall couldn't breathe; everything was happening too fast.  
  
But he was very intelligent, and so with some quick, decisive thinking he constructed his plan of action: do whatever you can to stop Cy from hurting you. At the time it was very impressive to even be able to think of anything at all, let alone construct a plan, even if it was somewhat primitive.  
  
Randall relaxed a bit; it would make Cyrus think he had given up when what he would really do is return bigger and better than ever. Cyrus leaned into Randall's face.  
  
"Enjoying this, little bro?" Randall groaned making Cyrus laugh.  
  
"I thought not." Randall disregarded Cyrus' words and took the opportunity created by dialogue to try and turn the tables. Out of the blue, using his three remaining hands, Randall pushed himself off the pillar with as much strength and will-power he could gather. Cyrus was caught unawares and, for a split second, eased his grip on Randall. Another brilliant opportunity occurred, and Randall had noticed it. He snatched it as though it were a million pound diamond.  
  
Bringing his injured arm back to his side, Randall turned around and leapt on top of Cyrus, trying to strangle him. A tool box knocked off its makeshift shelf clattered to the floor, its contents spilling out over the ground. Strangling Cyrus didn't work as well as it should have; the arm that Cyrus nearly broke was now incredibly weak, so to strangle someone with it would be impossible.  
  
Cyrus, using his lower arms, grabbed Randall around the middle and threw him to the ground. Randall landed on his back with a thump, suffering badly from the all the pain that his untrustworthy had inflicted on him. He tried to get up but he was too tired to move.  
  
But Cyrus wasn't.  
  
Randall's older brother rolled himself to his front and lifted himself off the ground. He hobbled over to Randall, his right leg sore after a kick that Randall had cleverly timed. Picking up his sibling by the neck, Cyrus growled from deep within his throat.  
  
"You've been the cause of a lot of pain for me, Randall. Now, all the suffering is going to end, along with your life."  
  
Randall winced as the grip on his throat became tighter. He was fighting a losing battle. Cyrus flung him on the ground like yesterday's garbage and scooped down to pick up a component of his tool box.  
  
It was a screwdriver.  
  
Randall tried with all his might to get on all eights but he was in agony. He lay on the floor, eyes closed and quivering slightly; he was really beginning to get frightened of what Cyrus would do to him. Momentary sparks of the past circled his mind; phrases that he had always remembered and that he had learnt from. Something that Marie had once said to him stuck in his mind and repeated itself like a frozen record.  
  
"Never give up."  
  
Randall had always believed in that, but what about a situation that you had no choice about except to give up? Randall's conscience came into play.  
  
"There is no such thing," it old him confidently. "Not even now."  
  
Randall blearily opened his eyes while a brand new feeling took over the controls of his heart.  
  
He had new hope.  
  
Somehow, he managed to find and collect enough strength to rise himself to his four feet and face Cyrus. Cyrus progressed towards Randall, nearly 100% sure that he was going to win this ongoing war. He slyly hid the screwdriver behind his back; he didn't want Randall predicting his moves.  
  
Teeth bared and snarling, he dived on top of the shaken royal-purple lizard monster and sharply knocked Randall's head against the wall making him cry out in vain. Everything seemed out of focus and blurred to Randall and the only thing he knew at that time was pain. Cyrus, with a crazed look upon his face, took his hand out from behind his back and revealed the glinting screwdriver.  
  
"For the first time in your life, you know what it's like to be me," he said menacingly. "What it's like to be in trouble and have no-one to turn to. To be completely alone. Well, now it's all over. I'm going to become rich and famous, and you," he grinned sinisterly, "you are not going to live another day to see it."  
  
He raised the weapon as high as his short arm would allow him and was about to launch an attack when something that wasn't part of Cyrus' plan happened. Somebody tugged the screwdriver, trying to force it out of his hand, and a feminine voice spoke.  
  
"You're wrong, Cy. So very wrong." 


	9. New Experiance

Chapter 29- The End of an Era  
  
Cyrus craned his neck round to see who had disturbed him, but all he had time to see was a light-blue clenched fist slam painfully into his jaw. He immediately reacted by standing up and dropping the screwdriver to tend to his mouth.  
  
Marie was proud of herself for such an accurate punch.  
  
When Cyrus had let go of his neck, Randall had taken a big gulp of air and rubbed himself tenderly. He tried to get to his feet but the lack of oxygen had tired him out. Randall gave up and lay on the ground breathing heavily while Cyrus nursed his own bleeding mouth.  
  
"Ou ocked me ooth out!" Cyrus gabbled, holding up a single sharp gnasher.  
  
"Serves you right," Marie said matter-of-factly. She then knelt down to help her twin.  
  
"Randall?" she asked timidly. "Say something." Her twin brother opened an eye and replied.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"Come on, let me help you up." Marie gently took one of Randall's arms and wrapped it around her neck. With a lot of exertion she managed to lift him up onto his fours, him wincing in pain all the while. Cyrus looked at the two of them in disbelief, then at the screwdriver that lay on the floor. His eyes became watery as, for the first time in his life, he admitted to jealousy. Although she was usually nice to him, he was envious of what Randall had with Marie.  
  
When they were young, even when they were at the orphanage, Marie always looked out for Randall and vice versa. Whenever an argument occurred between Randall and Cyrus, it was true that their mother and father stuck up for Cyrus, branding Randall a trouble maker.  
  
But Marie didn't.  
  
Whatever had happened, she had always fended for her twin. It was like there was some sort of a connection. Cyrus had always loved Marie and given her a lot in life, but sometimes he felt that she hadn't returned it. Even when Cyrus knew how unpopular Randall had been at school compared to his own hoards of friends he was really quite pleased with himself, but, in a way, he somehow always managed to feel lonely.  
  
He wanted what Marie and Randall had; that special relationship. You could have all the friends in the world, but to have a sibling you could share everything with was worth much, much more. Instead, he had a sister he loved but didn't love him back, and a brother he despised. A brother that, if it wasn't for Marie, would be dead by now.  
  
It was then that the realization and the madness of what he had done came home. Now, he had lost the trust of his sister forever and made his brother hate him even more. Cyrus slowly shook his head.  
  
"What have I done?" he murmured, smoothing back his fronds in an attempt to clear his mind. And with that, he turned, ran out the room and fled the building, not to be seen by either of his siblings for years to come.  
  
Chapter 30- Leaving the Lab  
  
"Hey Randy, are you going to be OK?" Randall looked up at his sister and smiled lightly.  
  
"I'll be fine." Taking his arm off Marie, he coughed and responded to his sister's concerned expression.  
  
"I'll be OK, honestly." He stood without any support determined to pay no heed to his throbbing head and aching arm. His vision shook slightly as he took another deep breath. Marie kept an eye Randall as he steadily made his way to the corridor.  
  
Mike and Sulley, who had been damaging and harming the machine as much as possible so it couldn't be reused, shattered but proud, walked up to Marie and Randall. They were both sweating so much it was as though there was a mini Niagara Falls right in front of their eyes. Marie smiled, restraining herself from getting into a laughing fit that she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of for at least ten straight minutes.  
  
"Been working out then, guys?"  
  
Mike tittered, breathing so hard that soon all the air in the room would be sucked into his gaping mouth.  
  
"What.makes you.say.that?" He then bent down, smiling and resting his hand on his knees.  
  
"Come on, you guys. Now's not the time to relax. We've got to get out of here," said Randall, trying to be brave but visibly in distress, mentally and physically. Sulley thought of something important that had been neglected.  
  
"What about the other hostages?" Randall answered.  
  
"We can just call the CDA. They'll arrest Waternoose and whoever else was involved and find the hostages. We can just leave it to them." Suddenly, the sound of several Scream Canisters crashing to the floor resounded around the room. The four-some turned their heads in the direction of the noise. It was Waternoose.  
  
"Oh no you don't," he said, half stumbling to the ground. He was still having the side-affects of Sulley's punch. "I'm going to stop you, whatever it takes. I've got henchmen. They'll be able to stop you. You won't be able." From then on, everyone switched off from his threats.  
  
"I guess we had better get out of here then, before he really comes to his senses," Marie suggested. Sulley nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Let's go everyone." Sulley ran to the corridor with Mike on his tail (NOT literally) and Marie was lagging behind to assist Randall. He was still shaken because of what happened but what he, along with Marie, was really troubled about was Cyrus. Admittedly, they had not had a very good relationship but, when you go down to the basics of it, they were still brothers. Randall was worried.  
  
What if Cyrus was going to do something stupid? It would be his entire fault. Even Randall noticed the look on his brother's face the second before he had left. It seemed devastated, to say the least. Randall was assured slightly by the fact that that Cyrus had always seemed to get the best out of a situation, no matter what happened. Maybe he had just gone to try and start afresh. But one question still remained unanswered.  
  
What had Cyrus been doing when he went on those "walkabouts?" But Randall was unaware that he was going to have to wait years before he found out.  
  
Chapter 31- Initial Shock  
  
The small group opened the stiff door of the secret hideaway and stepped into the main level of Monsters, Inc. for the first time. But Marie had seen it all before as she was brought down to the lab.  
  
"Let's go, you guys," she urged the others, but they stood stock-still. Randall was enormously excited; he was in his future workplace. Mike and Sulley looked around in amazement at the luxurious carpets that lined the hallways and the exaggerated pictures of previous CEOs that hung on the freshly painted walls. Whoever had done the décor certainly had a very good sense of style.  
  
Sulley was the first to get over the initial shock. He took Mike's hand and began to drag him along the hallway. Randall stayed where he was as though he was frozen in time. This was really quite a surprise since he actually felt like jumping around in exhilaration, but his injuries didn't allow him to. Marie understood why this place meant so much to Randall; their father had worked there beforehand, after all. She had had the same reaction, but after she had gotten used to the fact that she was presently in the building that her departed parent had worked in, she had become reasonably composed about it.  
  
But, for Randall, it was different.  
  
This was where he wanted to work. He could just imagine it; marching into Monsters, Inc. every morning, being welcomed by his dozens of loyal friends who gave him incessant amounts of respect, and then walking into the Scarefloor to see his own picture at the top of the board with a hefty number beside it, at least twice the quantity of those below it. These thoughts and visions excited Randall, making him enthusiastic to explore but, for some reason, his feet didn't seem to want to move. Marie tried to make her stubborn brother shift.  
  
"Come on, Randy. Look, I know how much you love Monsters, Inc. and how much you want to work here, but we've really got to get a move on." She clutched his hand, pulling him forward. Randall came back to earth.  
  
"Sorry, Marie. It's just that-"  
  
"Don't worry, Randy. Now, let's go." The twins darted down the hallway chasing after Mike and Sulley. Once they had disappeared from sight, an evil chuckle could be heard from within the darkness.  
  
"You want to work at Monsters, Inc. then?" Waternoose said, a plan taking shape in his mind. "We'll see about that." 


	10. Plans

I just have to quickly mention my English teacher as she happens to be reading this story, and I said, as a little favour, that I would just mention her and thank her for reading. (Oh, and when I said shut up in class, I didn't actually mean it. Heh.) Thanks for all the reviews so far!  
  
Chapter 32- Extravagant Thoughts  
  
The tiny Headmaster nodded and answered into the holes of the handset  
of the phone.  
  
"I see, sir. Yes, sir. I'll get to it right away." He nodded, and the henchman that was holding the phone for him pressed the "end call" button and an electronic bleep sounded. The Principle stated his orders to the gathering of monsters that had been waiting silently in Waternoose's office.  
  
"That was Harold Waternoose," he said, countering the question that the henchmen were about to ask. "He wants each of you to collect a dart-gun and position yourselves around the exits as you did before. But this time he is almost certain that you will catch someone, and do you know why?" he asked rhetorically. "Because this time you will be at ALL of the exits, not just the front entrance. Because this time your stupidity levels will have decreased and you will block all of the ventilation shafts, back doors and ANY other way out of this building. And how do I know you are going to do that?" He surveyed each and every individual that was in the room. "I know that because if you don't, you. Will. Be. FIRED!"  
  
He ended his pointless speech. (It was pointless because the only word that the monsters at the back of the room caught was "fired." They got the general idea that it was very important, though, because when the Principle said something important, he usually shouted it.) The Principle stood up to his immense height of three inches.  
  
"Go!" he shrieked optimistically. "Go and do your bidding!"  
  
"He sounds like one of those villains that are bent on world conquest," thought the headmaster's personal guard before being ordered to pick him up and head towards the main entrance of the company. By then the henchmen had spread themselves throughout the building. That is, after the ones at the front had explained what their boss had said to the ones that had been at the back of the group.  
  
The employees of Monsters, Inc. were very naïve; they thought that the henchmen had just been a precautionary measure and extra security after the break-in of the antiques shop down the street. (Though the residents of the area were secretly were secretly happy to see the owner of the shop sell up and go; he had been a bit of grump. Also, the antiques shop had been full of old bits and bobs that claimed to be things: for example there was candle wax inside that the owner had claimed to be from George Roarington's ear. Anyways, now that he had left, the shop would be bought quickly as it was right next to the supermarket, and might be made into something useful, like a vegetable shop or a bakery, for example.)  
  
It didn't occur to them that it would be a bit over the top to have several nine foot security guards with cackling walkie-talkies and guns larger than one might reasonably expect on the prowl.  
  
As the devilish Headmaster was taken to his destination, he thought hot- headedly about how the plan had gone wrong. Why couldn't it have all just worked out? The machine would get clearance by the Board of Administrators and they would go into mass-production, with him, one of the most widely- known monsters in Monstropolis getting a suitable 10% of the overall profits.  
  
At first, when the older of the Waternoose brothers, Harold, had suggested to him 10%, he was disconcerted. But, in the end, Waternoose had convinced him that it would be quite a lot as profit would be, as Waternoose had said, "like no monster can imagine." After a lot of talk, the Headmaster began to realize that 10% wasn't a suggestion. It wasn't renegotiable. In short, it was a "take it or leave it" situation and the Principle was a very "take it" monster. He didn't want all his trouble of getting the hostages to go to waste.  
  
Waternoose had said that they would make millions. Millions.  
  
The Principle grinned. Imagine it; a giant mansion with an enormous pool surrounded by acres of luscious gardens.and at the front of the house on a driveway big enough to be an aeroplane runway, the flashest fastest car money could buy, and, in the passenger seat, a gorgeous stunning female monster waiting for him to come and take her for a ride.  
  
"When I'm the richest monster in Monstropolis," said the Principle, completely ignoring the fact that Waternoose would be 90% richer than him, "I'll divorce my boring old wife and get a REALLY hot girlfriend. Yeah."  
  
His extravagant thoughts made him drool as his tongue hung out of his mouth as a dog's would while its tummy is being gently scratched. He then thought to present himself. Waternoose had said that he was certain that the plan would work, but now here they were, trying to stop some hostages from escaping. If only Waternoose had kept his word. All the Principle's incredible (if not a tad unorthodox) dreams were so close to becoming reality. But now, all his plans were in jeopardy.  
  
The slight bobbing of the Principle's bodyguard came to a stop as they halted in front of the door. "Wait here," the Principle instructed him sternly.  
  
He needed to get out of the dump that he was living in; he wasn't sure if he could take all the damp and the loud music from the neighbour any longer. He wanted that money so badly that he would do almost anything to get it, even harm a bunch of innocent children.  
  
Chapter 33- Encircled  
  
The four ran down the hallways with no orientation of Monsters, Inc. In other words they had completely no idea, whatsoever, of where they were going. They had made a number of turnings; sometimes in vain as there were quite a few dead-ends. Hallway after hallway came and went and Randall was like a kid in a candy store. Everything seemed so perfect.  
  
If they weren't on the run, Randall would have paused to look at the numerous rooms that they had passed, all of them named intriguingly. There was the old shredder room, the stimulator room, and many offices for some of the higher employees. At long last, they came out into a long corridor with a couple of monsters walking along it and a few comparing some paperwork in dread.  
  
There was another hallway leading off of this one which went into Scarefloor C. As they flew by it, Randall halted briefly gawping at the Scarefloor and watching the professional Scarers roaring and doing their highly esteemed job while their Scare Assistants supported them with words of encouragement. Randall was speechless.  
  
His first glimpse of a Scarefloor! He stopped the temptation of walking inside and having a thorough look around and instead pursued the others who had now reached the main entrance. Randall looked around. He thought he had seen a light-purple lizard-monster, but when he looked back it was just some other meaningless monster.  
  
In a crazy way, he had a hope that he would see his father there, chatting to some fellow employees, but he soon stamped the thought impossible in bright red letters. Which it was. His parents were dead, and he had to put up with it. Either that or spend the rest of his life torturing himself about what could have happened, rather than accepting what had happened. He couldn't change fate, even though, at times, he wished he could.  
  
But there was still that weird feeling, deep down inside of him in the warmest, most compassionate part of his heart. One that made him feel positive. One that flowed through his veins, day in, day out. One that told him that his parents were alive.  
  
It was all nonsense, of course. His parents were dead, and he could guarantee it; he was there when it happened. The car-crash. Randall withdrew himself and flinched slightly at the memories. It had been seven years since it had happened, but he was still feeling the pain of the loss.  
  
Now he thought about it, he felt lonely, in a way. The only person that had ever been there for him, that had looked out for him, was Marie, but she needed emotional help too. What they both really needed was an adult figure; someone to look after them, someone to tell them what's right and wrong and to help with decisions, someone to look after them at times of desperation, someone.someone to love them.  
  
The other three were waiting for Randall near the Information Desk. He caught up with them but his eyes seemed far away and distant, and he wasn't paying attention to what was happening. He was just following everyone, only vaguely aware of what was going on as his mind was somewhere else. He only became conscious of everything when Marie gingerly held his hand. She graciously smiled and he smiled back. But it was barely a smile; he didn't have the energy.  
  
They dashed up to the door and all of them were about to go through it when a large monster impolitely stood in their way.  
  
"Excuse me," Sulley said, trying not to make the monster suspicious. But the monster apparently knew who they were; they could tell by the massive dart-gun that he pulled out from behind his back. The four swivelled round to be met by another large monster, also carrying this particular make of dart-gun. Another item that he was holding was a walkie-talkie in which he was speaking.  
  
"Yes, they're here in the entrance. Come quickly. Over." He slipped the walkie-talkie into a strap which he wore around his stomach like a belt and held his gun up, deciding which one of the young monsters would be his victim. He aimed at Randall, but before he could fire, they were gone.  
  
They had run forward about three paces just as several more of these henchmen came and encircled them. One of them being, Sulley noticed, the henchman that he had gotten rid of in the hideaway earlier on. He must have called for help. He was looking quite ferociously at Sulley who couldn't bear to keep eye-contact with him. Every way the group turned was blocked. The monsters had covered every exit. They were trapped.  
  
Chapter 34- A Sly Lizard  
  
Randall began to get flustered, but he was also very frustrated. The way out was in their sights. They would've gotten out of this situation if it wasn't for those cumbersome, dumb henchmen who seemed to chase them and try to hunt them down every step of the way. Keeping his cool, Randall thought of a sly yet intelligent and, actually most humorous plan. His trademark grin spread across his face and he folded his arms, his eyes narrowed and his tail, in pretend boredom, flicking from side to side behind him. One of the observant henchmen noticed this.  
  
"What choo smiling at, lizard?" he grunted, trying to be tough.  
  
"Oh.nothing," Randall said tantalizingly. Marie heard from his casual tone of voice that he had a plan. Sulley, who was standing behind Randall, leaned over his shoulder, his eyes asking a question. Randall replied with a wink. Sulley beamed. Mike was the only one left in the dark. In a way, he knew what was going on, but he couldn't quite grasp it. It was as though he was in the pitch black with a packet of matches that he couldn't light.  
  
Another henchman, who seemed to have a slightly higher IQ, (and I MEAN slightly) was a bit more demanding.  
  
"What is it? Tell us or I'll shoot," he threatened Randall. But the lizard- monster only chuckled.  
  
"Well, shooting me would be pointless. Yep, a total waste of time and ammo." The henchmen exchanged baffled looks as Randall continued. "You see, one of my friends is on the phone right now. He's calling the CDA. Once he's done, the CDA'll come and arrest you idiots and whoever else who was stupid enough to be involved." One or two of the henchmen gasped at this and lowered their dart-guns. Randall was pleased with this reaction; it was exactly what he wanted.  
  
He unfolded his arms for two reasons; he didn't want to seem too intimidating as he negotiated, and his injured arm still hurt as though the damage inflicted upon it had only just been done. Although he was suffering, Randall still managed to keep that devious, I-know-something- that-you-don't-and-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you smile intact. One of the henchmen ventured for a question just as Randall was about to continue, but Randall allowed him to ask.  
  
"Is there any way we can get out of this? I mean, without you tellin' the CDA 'bout us?" Randall posed himself, hand on chin, as if in deep thought.  
  
"Well.there is one way." he said, enticing the henchmen. They were beginning to get urgent now; passers by were stopping to watch. "Actually.no. No, that wouldn't work." The henchmen begged for more.  
  
"Oh, tell us!" one said.  
  
"Well." Randall abandoned his air of secrecy and got straight to the point. "If you let us go, we won't tell the CDA about you. Simple as that." The henchmen began nodding in agreement and the matched that Mike had recklessly been trying to light were stolen from him and someone gave him a burning oil-lamp. He understood what Randall was trying to do. One henchman was still unconvinced.  
  
"How do we know we can trust you?" he asked. "You are a lizard-monster, and- "  
  
"Look," Randall butted in, irritated. "Take it or leave it. Your choice. But hurry up; I do wanna get back home before the end of the universe, y'know." The henchmen huddled round and began to speak in whispers, leaving the doorway wide open.  
  
"Good work, Randy! That's what I call quick thinking!" exclaimed Marie. Sulley piped up.  
  
"That was a great idea." Randall looked down at Mike.  
  
"Well, I guess that was good. For a lizard-monster, I mean." Randall accepted these comments with another one of his toothy smiles and headed up towards the door. There was nothing stopping them now. Or so they thought. 


	11. Hard Choices

Chapter 35- Decisions  
  
"WAIT!" screamed Harold N. Waternoose distraughtly. "Stop!" He pushed his way through the group of henchmen that were still throwing around ideas.  
  
"Look," he panted. "Maybe I can make a deal with you." A henchman stuck his head up.  
  
"We're already makin' a deal, boss. It's really clever and-"  
  
"BE QUIET!" bellowed Waternoose, just as the Principle was being brought over.  
  
"I see you've got them, sir. Good work! It's lucky that you're here, since I was, er...just getting a drink! I never doubted you for a sec-" Waternoose ignored him and carried on addressing the four.  
  
"Please. I'm...I'm desperate. I need you to do this." Sulley, Mike and Marie all looked at Randall, making him the negotiator. Randall sighed. Why did he have to have all the responsibility? On the other hand, he could imagine the look on his father's face if he told him that he had conned his boss, if he were still alive, that is. But he couldn't tell his father. Maybe he could tell Cyrus. In a way, that'd be even better. He could really rub it in his brother's face. He put on an expression of interest.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"OK. Good. I will give you a choice. Either you walk out of here, tell the CDA, get me and my men arrested, etcetera, etcetera-"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I get the idea," Randall said intolerantly. Waternoose carried on.  
  
"And loose all your chances of becoming a Scarer, or you could-"  
  
"Wait a second." Randall interrupted once more. "What do you mean "loose all my chances of becoming a Scarer?"  
  
"Well, I'll tell whichever member of my family who inherits this company, once I'm in prison, not to hire you since you would've put me there." Randall folded his arms once more.  
  
"And what made you think that I wanted to be a Scarer in the first place?" Waternoose smiled.  
  
"I overheard you in the corridor. There's no point in hiding it; I know you want to work here." Randall was peeved. Just when the situation couldn't have got any worse, it had gotten worse.  
  
"There is another option," Waternoose added. Randall was genuinely interested this time.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You could forget all about calling the CDA and I'll be able to guarantee you a spot as a Scarer, once you've come of age, of course."  
  
Now was the time for some serious thinking. Catch Waternoose and free all of the hostages but loose the chance of a job that he had dreamed of having, or get the once in a lifetime opportunity of being a Scarer for certain, but let Waternoose walk without prosecution. There were a lot of downsides to the second one, but being a Scarer...Well, it was a chance that some monsters (most commonly the ones that live in asylums) would kill for. Mike, Sulley and Marie were looking at Randall, waiting for his answer.  
  
"What is he doing?" Mike wondered. "Why doesn't he just turn down his offer so we can get out of here?" Sulley was thinking something along the same lines.  
  
"This is an easy decision to make. Just go for it!" Marie was the only one that actually appreciated how difficult this was for Randall. To take after his father as a Scarer would be a remarkable, let alone valuable, experience. And the oodles of respect and recognition that came with it were not to be forgotten. Being a lizard-monster was very hard, especially in such an anti-reptilian place like Monstropolis. To even have the remotest chance of getting the job as a Scarer would be real luck, in itself.  
  
As Marie thought this though, triple-checking every detail there was, no mater how miniscule, some questions came to mind. How did their father manage to get such a high-profile job here when it was usually so hard for reptile-monsters to get even the lowliest of jobs? And, was Waternoose really trustworthy? It probably wasn't exactly on the top of his list of priorities to hire a reptile-monster. There would be a lot of complications.  
  
While Marie was pondering about what to do, Randall was digging himself deeper and deeper in a hole and the only way he could get out was if he found a twenty foot tall ladder in the ground. Or aliens could abduct him. He was scared that if he turned down this offer, he wouldn't be able to get a respectful job in the future and would live the rest if his life in the slums, begging people for pennies or a morsel of food. And he wouldn't get an once of respect, either.  
  
"But what about the other hostages? Let alone what Marie would think of you of you accepted this deal," he thought to himself. Randall was stuck.  
  
With every delightful option there were some not-so-delightful consequences. As a last resort, he thought of what his parents would do. Or, rather, he tried to think of what his parents would do. But, now he had come onto this particular subject, he couldn't really remember them. There were only a few files of his parents in the sorting cabinet of Randall's brain, and even those were very imprecise. Another obscure thought came into his mind.  
  
What if he made the wrong decision? He would have to live with it for the rest of his pointless life. Randall felt a headache caused by all these incoming thoughts evolving.  
  
"Why me? I'm not a great decision maker. Why couldn't Waternoose let us go, or something, instead of all these stinkin' choices?" He thought about the circumstances really hard. Eventually, after digging the hole for quite a while, he found a prehistoric ladder and made his way out.  
  
He stared at Waternoose, hard, so as to make sure that he knew what an awkward situation this was. Unexpectedly, he turned around and sauntered over to the emergency phone which hung on the wall. Then Randall turned his head, smirked at Waternoose and lifted the receiver, dialling the number for the CDA.  
  
Chapter 36- Ruined Revenge  
  
Waternoose's eyes opened to the size and roundness of golf balls as he saw his hostage begin to dial the forsaken number. He thought that his plan was ingenious; how could have it gone wrong? In the meantime, Sulley and Mike were creeping out the door, trying not to be too conspicuous. They didn't try hard enough. Marie called out after them.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Mike replied to the confused Lizard-monster.  
  
"Look, we've played our part in this adventure. It's been a ball, but we've really gotta go," Mike garbled. He, along with Sulley, vamoosed out the front door of Monsters, Inc. and into freedom. Marie was astounded. How could they leave the both of them, after all that they had done to help? She bared her teeth a little and clenched her fists in anger.  
  
"They really have no sense of honour, do they?" she murmured to himself.  
  
Randall was about to speak to someone on the phone when he felt something push him from behind. As he turned around to take a look, his mouth opened in a silent gasp. Waternoose dove on top of him, knocking the receiver out of his hand and leaving the person on the other end of the line speaking to nobody. A faint "hello?" was released from the receiver. But Randall was too busy to answer; Waternoose was immensely strong and would be a lot to handle for an adult monster, let alone a thirteen-year old.  
  
He yelped in pain as Waternoose's sharp claws held him down.  
  
"Did you really think I was just going to let you call them?" Randall squirmed in an attempt to get Waternoose off of him, or at least make him ease his grip, but all it did was make him even more uncomfortable. Marie had become aware of what Waternoose was doing, so she hurriedly slithered over to him and tried to pry him off her brother. But he wouldn't come off. Randall received a firm punch upside the head, making the headache that had already begun grow worse. Everything was fuzzy for a few seconds before his eyes focused.  
  
Marie had an idea. She dashed over to the henchmen that were still discussing what to do and pierced their tight circle. She stood in the middle of them.  
  
"OK, new plan guys. Forget about what was said before. Instead, if you get Waternoose off my brother and beat your boss up really good," she said clearly, as though she was speaking to five year-olds, "then we won't tell the CDA. Oh, and you have the next five seconds to come to a decision." The cogs inside the henchmen's minds turned for the first time in decades as they muttered an assortment of "mmms" and "umms."  
  
"Come on, you guys! Quick!" Marie ushered them.  
  
"OK," one said. "We'll do it."  
  
"Great!" Marie jumped once on the spot. Just as she was about to scoot on over to Randall, another henchmen asked a question. What Marie noticed was how slowly he seemed to be asking it.  
  
"But...won't we be in...trouble?" Marie threw her arms up at this inquiry.  
  
"No! Now let's go!" She added some sugar to sweeten the deal. "It'll be fun..." The henchmen moved into action.  
  
Randall was still trying to prise Waternoose off of him and Waternoose had made note of this. He pushed his claws deeper into Randall's chest, making him loose his breath. He then towered over him.  
  
"There's no-one to save you this time," he whispered. He threw another punch at Randall, making Randall recoil and draw back. The lizard-monster had his eyes closed, not wanting to see his attacker. Waternoose held Randall even tighter, blocking his oesophagus and cutting off his oxygen flow. Waternoose was strangling him. Suddenly the massive weight of Waternoose rose off of Randall and the tight grip on his neck lessened causing him to think that something had gone terribly wrong, either for him or Waternoose. He hoped it wasn't him.  
  
Randall opened his eyes slightly, his chest heaving and his body thanking him for the fresh air. He was afraid of what he might see. But what he saw shocked him. 


	12. To Have Loved and Lost

Yay! Next chappy is up! There's only one more to go after this one, so nearly there! And thanks to all those that have reviewed so far!  
  
Chapter 37- Calling for Help  
  
There was a pile of henchmen, and Waternoose was nowhere to be seen. But, as Randall looked again while his vision cleared, he saw a lone claw sticking out from under the pile. He grinned at Marie who was coming to help him.  
  
"Are you OK?" she enquired, a fretful look about her face. "You always seem to get hurt, one way or another." Randall chuckled at his sister's comment.  
  
"Yeah, that's true." Marie clutched his arm and pulled him gently to his feet. Randall winced as she touched his arm. He peered over at the large pile.  
  
"I think Waternoose has got a lot on his hands right now, so how about I make that call I was gonna make before I was so rudely interrupted?" Marie giggled and assisted him to the phone. He picked up the dangling receiver with one of his lower hands and passed it to his upper hand. Dialling the number, he tapped the top of the phone with his fingers while waiting for somebody to pick up. He faked a yawn, making Marie giggle once more. Randall shook his head.  
  
"Take forever, why don'cha? Ever heard of picking up the phone? What kind of service is this any- Hello. Yeah, there's a bit of a situation at Monsters, Inc..." He explained the tale with detail included where it was needed, and then hung up. "They're coming over in five minutes."  
  
Chapter 38- Freedom  
  
The CDA stormed in making the loudest racket possible. There were dozens of them; this seemed, to them, to be quite an emergency. One stopped to ask Randall a few questions.  
  
"Were you the monster that called, ermm..." he rummaged through his notes. "Randall Boggs?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, I'm going to need to ask a few questions..." Randall sighed. Questions, questions...all he wanted to do (for what must have been the first time in his life) was get back to the safety of the orphanage. Nevertheless, he complied and answered the questions, but he glanced every now and then at what was happening with Waternoose. The CDA had somehow managed to pull off all the henchmen that had covered him to reveal a very exasperated and aggravated crab. Two members of the CDA yanked his arms back and put some handcuffs on him, to Randall's glee. Then Waternoose started to threaten him.  
  
"You're going to pay for this!" he yelled as the CDA agents struggled to contain him. "You made the wrong decision! You're never going to be a Scarer! Never! Imagine how your father will fell when he finds out!" Randall looked up at this. "He's going to wish you weren't his son!"  
  
Randall was deeply scarred by that, but Waternoose obviously wasn't up to date with the news. Randall's father couldn't find out, of course. Randall's bemused expression made Waternoose laugh; a high piercing laugh that bounced off the walls and floor.  
  
"You don't know, do you?" he sneered. "You don't know the truth about your parents! Ha! You'll find out the truth one day, and I'd like to be there to see the look on your face. You don't know! You don't know..." He was dragged out the door by seven or eight CDA agents that had a lot of trouble just keeping a hold of him.  
  
Randall turned to look at Marie, staring deep into her eyes to see if she knew what Waternoose was talking about. Although he was her twin brother, she still cringed to some extent under his stern glare. It was as though he was trying to read her mind. Randall relaxed. She didn't know anything; if she did, she would've told him by now.  
  
"What was he talking about?" he asked Marie. She slowly shook her head.  
  
"I don't know." She held his hand once more, but this time very tightly. They made a solid form of eye-contact, and Randall seemed to drown in her eyes; they were so mysterious and expressive. They could have a conversation just by looking at each other.  
  
"Don't worry, Rand. We'll find out what he means one day."  
  
"I know." He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. At that moment in time, it was as though nothing else was happening in the world. Randall knew that their adventure was coming to a close, and, even though it had been quite an experience, it was somewhat of a relief. Randall let a single tear drop down his cheek and then cuddled his sister.  
  
Waternoose's eruptions and the CDA's appearance coupled together to make quite an entertaining scene, or at least to the workers of Monsters, Inc. They all gathered outside to see Harold N. Waternoose, their boss, being carted off into a CDA truck along with his idiotic colleague, the headmaster, who was put in a dog-cage. Neither of them were going to see daylight again for a long time.  
  
Inside, the hostages had been thankfully found. They all ran out through the main reception and outside into the fading light of day, laughing in pure bliss. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Some of the monster-children stopped when they saw Randall to give him a handshake and a few words of thanks before rushing out to greet the feeling of the fresh air, the sounds of the owls beginning to hoot as day surrendered to night, and the touch of the hard slabs to be exchanged with lush green grass underfoot. They returned to their families grateful that, in the end, it had all turned out alright. Randall, after repeating his story several times to different CDA agents, decided in the end to just leave them to it and get back home.  
  
It was a cool evening as Randall and Marie walked, side by side, back to the orphanage. Even though Randall loved Monsters, Inc, it was good to be outside again. The wind rustled his fronds slightly as they turned into another desolate road under the bright gleam of the full moon. Marie spoke softy.  
  
"Thanks for saving me, Randall. You were amazing." Randall stopped Marie and held her arm.  
  
"Did you really think that I was just gonna leave you there?" Marie looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"I would never do that Marie. Never. You should know that by now," he whispered back. Once again there was that surge of electricity that sparked between the two of them. They carried on their journey, the night air silent and empty except for the leaves that danced in the wind.  
  
Chapter 39- Famous  
  
1 WEEK LATER  
  
All the members of the orphanage, young and old, gathered round the television watching their favourite soap-opera. Randall sat next to Marie. In this past week, ever since all the events at Monsters, Inc. had happened, she had been quieter than usual and refused to make conversation with anybody except Randall. He was a bit apprehensive; she wasn't usually like this. Actually, she was rather the opposite; she was usually a very talkative and social girl who had an impossible aim of being friends with everybody. The problem was, especially recently, a lot of people were being horrible to her, and she was a sensitive girl who got hurt easily.  
  
Randall looked over at her while she stared intently at the screen, trying to work out what was happening in the soap-actors fantasy lives. Just when she was getting into it, the 7:15pm news came on, slap-bang in the middle of the program. A hotchpotch of groans came from the viewers. One particularly large monster made his irritation clear.  
  
"The news is sooo boring." Randall decided to comment on this remark. Before everything that had happened, he wouldn't even dare to answer back to anybody that was bigger than him, and it had seemed a necessary precaution, but now he was a lot more confident in his own abilities.  
  
"Actually, it can be quite interesting. Better than those annoying soaps, anyways." The large monster in front of them turned around, his fangs poised, sharp and poisonous.  
  
"What did you say?" Randall turned to Marie before replying.  
  
"The guy's going deaf." She giggled while he continued. "I said, "it can be- " he paused mid-sentence after hearing his name on the television. He peered over the monster's head to look at the box.  
  
"...when, just last week, the newly-appointed CEO of Monsters, Inc. was arrested by the CDA for illegal testing on monster-children. His plan was foiled by two of his hostages, Randall Boggs and his sister, Marie, who played a minor part..." Then, as the reporter described what had happened in her stately voice, the video clip that was playing in the top right-hand corner grew large and filled the screen. It showed Harold being arrested and then Randall getting annoyed with a CDA agent. Randall faced Marie and laughed.  
  
"This is...I mean...wow," was all he could manage to say. All the other orphans turned around and stared at him in awe. Their punch-bag was on TV.  
  
"Sis?"  
  
Yeah?"  
  
"We're going to be the most popular kids in Monstropolis! This is great! No more bullying, or other kids being mean to us. We might even get some friends! Marie?" She looked at her brother, eyes shiny as she strained to confine her tears.  
  
"Marie, what's the matter?" She sobbed faintly while trying to explain so Randall took her upstairs and brought her into her bedroom to have a talk.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked for a second time. Marie shed her tears silently, trying to settle down. They sat on the rock-hard bed in the gloomy room as she began to give her explanation.  
  
"I...I'm not s-staying." Randall was puzzled.  
  
"What?" Marie sobbed harder now, making speech difficult.  
  
"I'm not s-staying in t-this orphanage. They've f-found me some f-foster parents." Randall shook his head.  
  
"No...no, I'm not letting you go again."  
  
"I have to!" she wailed. "I can't stay here any longer! It's too hard!" Randall held her closer.  
  
"But it's going to be much better now," he said, trying with all his might to convince her to stay.  
  
"No, it won't. They're really nice people and they said that they're going to look after me well." She saw the hurt in Randall's bright green eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Randy, but I just can't miss this opportunity." Marie leaned her head on Randall's shoulder. His eyes welled up with tears as they hugged in the darkness.  
  
"I understand," he whispered sincerely, knowing that if the foster parents were as nice as she said, she would be better off there rather than in some decaying orphanage. Marie then said the three most important words in the English dictionary, (or any other dictionary, for that matter.)  
  
"I love you." 


	13. Neverending

The last chapter is up! This is a pretty short one, but it's basically just to tie up a few loose ends, and to finish the story off. I have already started on a sequel, and the first chapter of that will be up soon. And a final thanks to all those who have reviewed; you have all been a big help and have inspired me to carry on and even bother to write a sequel, so thank you! Oh, and to answer a good question by Light Rises concerning why Marie's foster parents didn't adopt Randall as well- I admit, I DID forget to mention that, but it is something that will be cleared up in a future Randall fan-fic of mine, so I can't really say just yet. But good question! And now, on with the final chapter...  
  
Chapter 40- Future  
  
A lot of things happened in the weeks that followed.  
  
Randall and Marie had both been taken to the local hospital for an essential check-up. They both passed but Marie had a broken finger that was very sore, and Randall had sprained his arm badly and was to have it in a sling for a week. The next day, Marie was taken away with her new foster parents, who Randall gave a thorough checking before he allowed his sister to go with them. It was a sad moment as he waved her goodbye, but he knew it was for the best.  
  
He heaved a sigh. The only thing that was frightening him was the fact that now, without Marie, he would be lonelier than ever. Even though he had been on the news and his name, along with his compelling tale, had spread through the school like wildfire, the bullies did not desist their unlawful acts. Mike and Sulley were cheesed off because they weren't even mentioned on the television, but Randall pointed out that it was their fault for leaving too early. He had a stern talk with them, but thought that not receiving any recognition for their help was punishment enough. Nevertheless, they carried on bullying him, but noticeably not quite as often as previously.  
  
Marie, this time, did write letters back to her brother who now had a daily routine of getting up early in the morning and waiting to see if she had replied. Although they were making contact and keeping in touch, the orphanage didn't seem the same without Marie and her cheerful laugh that brought smiles to most monsters' faces. Randall was getting very lonely though, and had only managed to make a couple of friends from the news report who, in a couple of months, would abandon him anyway and would leave him without a friend in the world.  
  
After a while, Marie's amount of replies grew less and less until she was only writing once a week, if he was lucky. Randall was upset by this, and even when she wrote letters, they weren't as lengthy as they had used to be. In Marie's letters, she would usually thank him for his five or six other letters, describe what was happening over there, and ask how he was. She always seemed to be doing something exciting; arranging a school fair, visiting her friend's houses, and even going on holiday once in a while.  
  
Jealousy showed its face as Randall read his sister's hurried description of the events in her new life. Everything, like usual, was going perfectly for her and was the precise reverse for him. Getting increasingly bored with his life, Randall decided to experiment with a new way to make a friend, and also keep him occupied. He got a pen friend. This pen friend was named Jay, and they constantly wrote letters to each other. It gave Randall a bit of company outside his small amount of books that lay dog- eared on a broken shelf in his room.  
  
The events at Monsters, Inc. were fresh in his mind at first, but as the days grew into weeks and the weeks grew into months, the memory, like every other useless thought, was pushed into the back of his mind by incoming bombardments of present day happenings. But one thing stayed at the front of his mind, nagging him at times when he was alone with his own thoughts. What did Waternoose mean when he talked about his parents and how Randall "didn't know?"  
  
It was something that troubled him a lot, and something that he desperately wanted to find out. As Randall aimlessly wandered the playground at break- time, being shoved by other, more popular monsters that were playing their games of "it" and "tag," visibly leaving Randall out, he murmured the truest words he would ever say in his life.  
  
"This isn't the end."  
  
***********  
  
I bet you're thinking that that ending is begging for a sequel; and Randall's right- it isn't the end. For all of us Randall fans, it'll be never the end. As I said, the sequel will be up soon, so I guess that's something for you to look forward to. Once again, a final thanks to all that have reviewed- you've really made it worthwhile. So, hasta la vista, and have a good rest of your life! (What? What did you expect me to say?) Oh, and never forget- the "Winds of Change" are always just around the corner. ;) 


End file.
